THE House prosecution team on Wednesday said the Senate impeachment court’s stricter sub judice rule must apply equally to Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, stressing that fairness requires the same restraints on public statements from everyone covered by Rule 18.
House impeachment team adviser and spokesperson Ace Barbers and Deputy Speaker Jefferson Khonghun of Zambales said the prosecution expects uniform enforcement of the rule, particularly on statements that touch on the integrity of the court and its proceedings.
“Ang tanong natin: Ito bang Rule 18 na ito must equally be applied to all the parties, including the respondent?” Barbers said at a press briefing.
“So that is what we want to hear from the impeachment court,” he added.
Khonghun said the implementation of the stricter rule would test whether the restrictions are applied consistently.
“Magiging litmus test ’yon kung talagang paano ipatutupad ng ating impeachment court ’yung kanilang kautusan,” he said.
“Ang hinahanap lang naman ng prosecution team is fairness, no?” Khonghun added.
“Pag sinisita ’yung prosecution sa kanilang mga sinasabi, kailangan maging fair din na kailangang sitahin din ’yung mga nasasabi ng depensa. At siyempre, kailangan sitahin din kung ano ’yung sinasabi ng nasasakdal, no? Dito in the case is Vice President,” he said.
The prosecution raised the issue as Duterte released a statement Wednesday challenging the strength of the evidence against her and accusing prosecutors of resorting to insults, speculation and “political theatrics.”
Duterte said prosecutors and members of Congress seeking to legitimize the impeachment complaints “should be confident in the strength of the case” and accused them of “fishing for evidence during the trial” and trying to turn what they wanted to believe into “a wild story of alleged wrongdoing.”
She also said being called the “mastermind of a scam” did not prove the charge against her, arguing that such remarks showed a need to “feign confidence in the face of a weak presentation.”
Barbers said statements questioning the prosecution’s evidence and the conduct of the proceedings raise the issue of whether they fall within Rule 18.
“Sa aming palagay, merong violation. Kasi nga, kine-question ’yung integrity ng proceedings, eh. And this goes beyond the merits,” Barbers said.
“If you’re questioning the integrity of the court and its proceedings, eh merong malaking katanungan tungkol diyan,” he added.
The prosecution had previously raised similar concerns over Duterte’s public remarks while her trial was ongoing.
Duterte earlier accused the impeachment process of “bending the law,” prompting prosecutors to argue that the remark cast doubt not merely on individual rulings but on the integrity of the constitutional process itself.
In another statement during the trial, Duterte declared that the impeachment complaint was “not supported by evidence” and accused the prosecution of relying on speculation and fabricated claims.
Presiding Officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Wednesday ordered strict enforcement of Rule 18 moving forward.
The rule expressly covers the presiding officer, senator-judges, prosecutors, the person impeached, their respective counsel and witnesses.
Escudero also prohibited public statements that prejudge issues, question pending rulings, substitute media pressure for evidence, or promote distrust and undermine public confidence in the court by creating the impression that it cannot resolve the case impartially.
The court gave those covered by Rule 18 a clean slate for previous statements but warned that the restrictions would be strictly enforced from Wednesday onward.
Barbers said the prosecution would leave it to the impeachment court to determine whether particular statements cross the line.
“Kaya nga tayo ay hihingi ng clarification sa ating impeachment court,” he said.
He stressed that the prosecution was not suggesting the court would enforce the rule unevenly.
“Hindi po natin sinasabi na walang equal application, but that is what we want to be clarified on,” Barbers said.
“Hintayin namin kung anuman ’yung magiging tugon ng ating impeachment court tungkol dito. And of course, we will respect that,” he added.
metrosundaily
