VICE President Sara Duterte’s defense panel should be given a substantially shorter time to present its evidence, Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, a member of the prosecution panel, today said.
He told a news briefing that the Senate impeachment court had given the defense a total of 30 trial days for its evidence presentation on the original four articles of impeachment against the Vice President.
But since the prosecution has dropped three articles on grave threats, confidential fund misuse and bribery, the time to be given the defense panel should be significantly shorter than 30 days, he said.
“Para po doon sa kabuuan (four articles), tatlumpung araw ang binigay po sa depensa. So our expectation is kung nabawasan na po ng tatlong artikulo at isa na lang po yung paglalatagan ng ebidensya, dapat mas maiksi na po yung panahon na igagawad sa depensa para po maglatag ng ebidensya,” he said.
However, he said the prosecution is leaving the matter to the discretion of the Senate impeachment court.
“I think it is something that we will have to confirm with the Senate impeachment court kung actual ho ba na magbabawas po ng bilang ng araw para sa presentasyon po ng ebidensya on unexplained wealth,” he said.
Prosecution spokesman former Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers made a similar statement last Saturday.
Barbers said as far as he knew, of the 30-day timeline given to the defense, eight trial days were allocated for its evidence presentation on the alleged unexplained wealth of the Vice President.
He said if the Vice President’s lawyers stuck to their eight-day timeframe, their presentation might be over in two weeks from Nov. 9, when trial resumes after the Halloween break of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
“They were asking for thirty trial days, pero dito sa article na ito, sa aking pagkakaalam sa Article 2 (on unexplained wealth), ang kanilang hiningi ay eight trial days lamang,” he said.
“So kung following that, na eight trial days lang, maaring matapos na, siguro matagal na yung two weeks,” he added.
Based on its November trial schedule, the impeachment court would conduct hearings from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m on Nov. 9, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Nov. 10, 10 to 2:30 on Nov. 11, 10 to 6:30 on Nov. 12, 13, 19, and 20, and 10 to 2 on Nov. 23.
There would be no trial on Nov. 30, Bonifacio Day, a holiday.
Several senator-judges earlier expressed the hope that the Vice President’s trial would be over before the Christmas holidays.
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