Prosecution: Evidence will sway public opinion — cites Corona

THE House prosecution panel on Friday urged the public not to judge the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte based on early public opinion surveys, saying the impeachment of former Chief Justice Renato Corona showed that public sentiment can shift as evidence is presented.

Lawyer Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr., legal spokesperson and counsel for House prosecutors, said impeachment is a constitutional process designed to determine accountability, not a contest for public approval.

“This is not a popularity contest. It’s a constitutional accountability mechanism,” Tolosa said during a press briefing.

Tolosa pointed to the 2012 impeachment trial of Corona, recalling that public support for the proceedings was initially low but changed as evidence emerged during the trial.

“Matatandaan ho natin, at the start, hindi ho mataas ‘yung suporta ng publiko doon sa impeachment proceedings. But when they started to see the evidence that were presented in the course of the proceedings, the tides changed,” he said.

Corona was eventually convicted by the Senate impeachment court on May 29, 2012 for culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust over his failure to fully disclose his assets in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, leading to his removal from office.

Tolosa said the same principle should apply to the impeachment proceedings against Duterte, urging Filipinos to withhold judgment until both sides have fully presented their evidence before the Senate impeachment court.

“Kaya ho lagi naming hinihingi, huwag ho nating pangunahan itong proseso na ito,” Tolosa said.

“Pinapakiusapan ho natin ang ating mga kababayan na subaybayan nang mabuti ang impeachment proceedings, pakinggan at suriin natin lahat ng ebidensya.”

Tolosa also said it is too early to draw conclusions from surveys measuring public opinion on the impeachment case.

“Kung magkakaroon man ng mga survey tungkol sa bagay na ito, it’s very premature to do it at this time,” he said.

“Gawin ho natin ‘yan kapag narinig na ng taumbayan ang malakas na ebidensya. To be fair, hindi lang ng prosecution, pati ng kabilang panig. ‘Pag nandiyan na ang ebidensya, then let’s hear their opinion about it.”

Tolosa made the remarks when asked about the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing Duterte posting a “good” net satisfaction rating of +31 in June, up from +29 in March.