House prosecution seeks pre-trial extension in Duterte impeachment
Metro Manila, Philippines – The House prosecution panel on Tuesday, June 23, asked the Impeachment Court to extend the pre-trial conference on the case of Vice President Sara Duterte until Saturday, June 27 due to the volume of evidence that needs to be marked. In a press briefing, prosecution lead Jinky Luistro admitted uncertainties from the prosecution that the June 25 deadline for the marking of evidence may not be feasible. “We are pushing for the termination of the pre-trial conference this week. And that is why we have reached out to Secretary Bantug for two possible additional measures,” Luistro said, referring to the Senate Secretary who sits as clerk of court. She noted that the prosecution also asked the court to allow more teams to participate in the marking of evidence to hasten the process. Manila Rep. Joel Chua, another prosecutor, said Article I alone, which pertains to Duterte’s…
Marcos open to lowering age of criminal responsibility after Tacloban school shooting
Metro Manila, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is open to proposals lowering the age of criminal responsibility following the fatal school shooting in Tacloban City, Malacañang said Tuesday, June 23, as authorities investigate how two minors carried out the attack. Palace press officer Claire Castro said the president is willing to consider amendments to the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act if Congress determines that changes are needed in response to the growing number of crimes involving minors. “Depende po iyan, kasi kung ano pong makikita na version ng pangulo, at kung ito naman ay magiging mas makakabuti sa ating mga kabataan at para sa pagpapatupad ng ating batas ay sasang-ayunan naman po ng Pangulo iyan,” Castro said. [Translation: That will depend on the version that reaches the president, and if it will benefit our youth and improve the implementation of the law, the president will support it.] The issue…
Duterte expected to attend Sept. 7 status conference – ICC judge
Metro Manila, Philippines – International Criminal Court (ICC) Trial Chamber III Presiding Judge Joanna Korner said former President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to personally attend the next status conference in September unless medical reasons prevent his appearance. During the second status conference on Tuesday, June 23, Korner said the chamber had excused Duterte from attending the latest hearing because it was expected to be brief. However, she signaled that the court wants to see the former president at the next major proceeding. “I rather feel the one on the 7th of September, because by then we’ve had the reports, is likely to be an important one,” Korner said. “For that, certainly, Mr. Haynes, we would expect Mr. Duterte to be here unless there’s some medical issue,” she told Duterte’s counsel, Peter Haynes. Duterte was absent from the latest hearing after waiving his right to attend. The chamber earlier granted the…
Palace to Duterte: Students are not terrorists, intelligence gathering not solution
Metro Manila, Philippines – Malacañang rejected Vice President Sara Duterte’s call for stronger intelligence gathering following the deadly shooting at a public high school in Tacloban City, saying students should not be treated as security threats and that such comments fail to address the root causes of the tragedy. In a statement, Duterte expressed concern over the shooting at San Jose National High School, which left several students dead and injured, and said the incident exposed shortcomings in the government’s ability to identify threats before lives are lost. “This tragedy also exposes the failure of the government to recognize the importance of intelligence gathering and identifying threats before lives are lost. We cannot continue reacting only after another child is hurt or killed,” she said. Duterte also said learners must be protected from “radical influences,” whether from outside schools, online platforms, or individuals who take advantage of vulnerable young people.…
Defense keeps some witnesses confidential, denies copying prosecution
Metro Manila, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte’s legal team said it is withholding the names of some witnesses for her impeachment trial for security reasons and pushed back against claims that it copied prosecution witnesses. Michael Poa, one of Duterte’s lawyers, made the statement in a chance interview on the sidelines of Day 3 of the pre-trial conference on Tuesday, June 23. “Meron naman talaga mga reservations, magkabilang panig. Kami din sa defense, meron din kaming na-reserve na witnesses, hindi namin pinangalanan. Bakit? Para sa kanilang seguridad,” Poa said. [Translation: There are reservations on both sides. We in the defense also have reserved witnesses that we have not named. Why? For their security.] Senate Secretary Rey Bantug, clerk of the impeachment court, earlier said both sides are allowed to have “surprise witnesses,” subject to a three-day notice before their appearance in court. Poa said the defense will comply with…
