HOUSE prosecutor Joel Chua of Manila has said the prosecution’s proposed 62-day presentation period in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte represents the maximum time it may need to present its case and does not mean it intends to use all of it.
Chua made the clarification after questions were raised about why the prosecution sought 62 days while the defense requested only 30 days.
“Hindi ibig sabihin porke’t 62 days ang aming pino-proposed eh ima-maximize namin ‘yan,” Chua said during a press briefing Tuesday.
He said the proposed timetable was based largely on the volume of evidence and witnesses that may need to be presented, particularly the thousands of documents related to confidential funds.
“Nakita naman po ninyo paano mo ipepresenta ‘yung 4,000 documents sa isang confidential fund kung limang araw lang, sampung araw lang, ‘di po ba?” Chua said.
Chua made the remarks in response to claims that the proposed timeline was intended to prolong the proceedings and hurt Duterte politically.
He added that the prosecution may not even need to present all four Articles of Impeachment if it believes the evidence already sufficiently supports the case.
“So pwedeng dumating ang pagkakataon na sa tingin po namin na dalawang articles pa lang ang aming napipresenta pero matibay na matibay na ang ebidensya. Pwedeng hindi na namin i-presenta ‘yung ibang articles,” he said.
According to Chua, the prosecution requested the maximum amount of time it may reasonably need because the trial schedule approved during pre-trial will become part of the pre-trial order.
He described the pre-trial order as the roadmap for the impeachment proceedings, noting that matters not included in it—including the number of days allotted for the presentation of evidence—may no longer be allowed during the trial.
“Ang pre-trial order ay magiging bibliya. Ito ay magiging roadmap ng impeachment hearing,” Chua said.
For that reason, he said, the prosecution sought sufficient time at the outset rather than risk being unable to complete the presentation of its case later.
The Senate impeachment court is expected to determine the final trial schedule as part of the ongoing pre-trial proceedings ahead of the July 6 start of trial.
