VICE President Sara Z. Duterte’s defense team has allegedly listed some witnesses whose intended testimonies do not appear to be sufficiently explained, a prosecution spokesman said over the weekend.
Private prosecutor and legal spokesperson Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. told the Saturday News Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City that one such witness is Quezon City Prosecutor Vimar Barcellano.
“For example, a Quezon City prosecutor was named as one of the witnesses, pero walang indication kung anong purpose kung bakit siya ipapatawag,” he said.
He said certain bank officers were also listed as defense witnesses, but the prosecution was not given a clear explanation of the specific purpose of their testimonies.
“Ah meron pang ibang mga testigo pero…from the banks. Walang explanation kung anong magiging testimony nito,” he said.
The vice president’s camp initially submitted a list of 25 intended witnesses for the impeachment trial, which is scheduled to resume on Monday, November 9.
Its first intended witness, former law dean Ralph Sarmiento, has since declined to testify, saying he did not want to appearas a witness for either side and wanted to preserve his independence as a constitutional law professor and legal analyst.
Tolosa said the defense panel’s witness list also includes local government officials from Davao City and the Island Garden City of Samal, including their respective assessors.
These officials would likely testify about properties that the prosecution claimed were not declared in the Vice President’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), he said.
“Yung mga sa assessors of Samal Island and Davao, they will probably talk about the properties identified by the Registry of Deeds na-present naman namin na hindi naka-declare sa SALN,” he said.
He added that the defense and the prosecution may agree on certain stipulations to expedite the proceedings.
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