HOUSE Deputy Speaker Janette L. Garin of Iloilo on Saturday said defense witnesses had strengthened the prosecution’s evidence against Vice President Sara Duterte, questioning whether their testimony was helping the respondent or further bolstering the case against her.
Speaking during the Saturday News Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City, Garin argued the defense’s presentation had produced answers favorable to the prosecution.
“Yung mga witnesses ng depensa ay nakapag-strengthen pa,” she said.
Garin questioned what the defense had gained from presenting those witnesses.
“So hindi mo alam kung talaga bang they were there to defend the respondent, yung ating ikalawang pangulo,” she said.
She then questioned whether the witnesses were there “para lalong palakasin ang mga ebidensya laban sa ating pangalawang pangulo.”
Garin extended the argument to bank witnesses, discussing what their appearance would accomplish if their testimony confirmed accounts and transactions already raised in the proceedings.
She framed this as a conditional scenario.
If bank officers confirmed the accounts and the Anti-Money Laundering Council’s (AMLC) information, she argued, their testimony would bring the financial transactions back into focus.
“Ibabalik na naman natin ang usaping aggregate transaction of P4.4 billion labas, pasok, lipat,” Garin said.
Her reference concerned aggregate transaction activity, with funds moving into, out of and between accounts.
She raised the figure while explaining why presenting bank officers risked drawing further attention to the financial evidence.
Garin also pointed to Cale88, citing questions about the company’s income reported to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and transactions reflected in AMLC records.
Her remarks addressed the possible consequences of presenting witnesses whose answers would confirm financial information the prosecution had already cited.
She questioned the advantage of further testimony if the result resembled what she considered damaging answers from earlier witnesses.
The defense’s first week had included testimony on property disclosures, city-government payments and corporate financial arrangements.
Garin’s comments focused on whether those explanations weakened the allegations or supplied further support for the prosecution’s evidence.
In her assessment, those earlier appearances had placed Duterte in a more difficult position.
“Instead na tulungan ang ikalawang Pangulo ay lalo pa nilang diniin,” Garin said.
metrosundaily
