HOUSE prosecutor Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon on Friday hit back at former Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo for describing prosecution witnesses in Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s impeachment trial as “worthless” and “useless,” saying Panelo may have missed parts of the proceedings because he was sometimes asleep.
“Una sa lahat, hindi ako sure kung aling bahagi po ‘yung na-monitor niya kasi may panahon na tulog siya sa kanyang araw-araw po na pagpunta sa paglilitis,” Ridon said during an online press briefing.
Ridon rejected Panelo’s criticism, saying the prosecution witnesses have established different aspects of the allegations against Duterte.
On the alleged misuse of confidential funds, he said testimony from Commission on Audit (COA) officials and Office of the Vice President (OVP) personnel has shown different facets of the alleged irregularities.
Ridon said witnesses from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) are expected to provide further evidence in the coming days and weeks.
The prosecution has so far presented state auditors on the rules governing confidential funds and audit findings on expenditures by the OVP and Department of Education (DepEd).
Former OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta also testified that Duterte instructed her to turn over P125 million in confidential funds to OVP security officer Col. Raymund Dante Lachica.
Ridon said the prosecution took a similar approach in presenting evidence on the impeachment article involving Duterte’s alleged threats, calling NBI officials who handled different stages of the investigation.
“So tingin ko, we are very much confident doon po sa pagkakapresenta ng aming pong mga testigo, and we are expecting the same until the very end,” he said.
Panelo also criticized the pace of the impeachment trial, blaming what he described as Senate Impeachment Court Presiding Officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero’s lack of control over the proceedings.
Ridon rejected the criticism, saying Escudero has properly managed the trial and allowed both sides to fully present their positions.
“Again, katulad po ng binanggit po natin, maayos naman po ‘yung pagpapatakbo ng ating presiding officer ng paglilitis,” he said.
Ridon said oral arguments by both sides and questions from senator-judges are relevant to determining the truth and should not be curtailed merely to speed up the proceedings.
“So dapat hindi rin ho natin ito minamadali. We should allow all the parties, prosecution, defense, and even the senator-judges, to be able to state their case and to state their thoughts during the course of the proceedings,” Ridon said.
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