THE House prosecution panel on Monday dropped a Civil Service Commission (CSC) official from its witness lineup Monday as it moved to streamline its presentation of evidence and speed up Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s impeachment trial.
House prosecutor Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon told the Senate impeachment court that CSC Assistant Commissioner Ariel Ronquillo would no longer be called to testify because the matters he was expected to cover had already been sufficiently addressed by two earlier witnesses.
“In the interest of expediting the proceedings, at siyempre dahil nadesisyunan naming talagang mapabilis po ang kabuuang proseso po na ito, we have decided to dispense with sa pagsalang po kay Atty. Ronquillo sa araw po na ito,” Ridon said.
Ridon cited the testimonies of retired Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang and Office of the Ombudsman records official Karen Batu, saying the prosecution was already satisfied that they had covered the specific areas intended for Ronquillo.
Ronquillo had been subpoenaed to testify on the preparation and filing of Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs), including the rules governing their interpretation and application.
Presiding Officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero excused Ronquillo, who was already at the Senate for his scheduled appearance, and thanked him for attending despite no longer being called to the witness stand.
The prosecution then proceeded with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Company Registration and Monitoring Department Director Gerardo Fernando Del Rosario, its third witness under Article II on Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth.
Del Rosario’s presentation marked the prosecution’s shift from Duterte’s SALNs to SEC records of companies in which Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, declared business interests or financial connections.
More than 200 exhibits spanning over 3,000 pages were prepared for Del Rosario’s testimony as prosecutors seek to examine corporate interests, stockholdings and possible sources of income relevant to Duterte’s declared wealth.
His testimony had previously been deferred because of the volume of records to be presented.
The prosecution also moved the testimony of Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System Division Chief Rendell Sopeña to Tuesday, saying he needed more time to complete the subpoenaed records.
Ridon said Sopeña received the subpoena only on Friday, Sept. 18, and was still gathering the documents needed for his testimony.
“We are asking that he be excused today, but he will be presented tomorrow, September 22, Tuesday,” Ridon said.
Sopeña has been subpoenaed to testify on government procurement transactions involving entities in which Duterte declared an interest and to produce records of contracts between Gencorp. Industries Inc. and government agencies from 2020 to the present.
With Ronquillo dropped and Sopeña’s appearance moved to Tuesday, Del Rosario became the prosecution’s sole witness Monday.
The move to dispense with Ronquillo follows an earlier effort by the prosecution to pare down its witness list and avoid unnecessarily prolonging the trial.
On Sept. 8, the panel rested its presentation under Article I on the alleged misuse of confidential funds after presenting or stipulating on 12 of its original 27 witnesses, dispensing with the remaining 15.
Prosecutors have maintained that they intend to present sufficient evidence to establish their case without unnecessarily lengthening the proceedings.
Article II accuses Duterte, among others, of failing to fully and truthfully disclose her assets and maintaining prohibited business interests while serving as vice president.
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