Metro Manila, Philippines — House prosecutor Terry Ridon is proposing holding four trial days weekly to speed up the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte and make up for bad weather-induced delays.
Ridon said the prosecution hopes to rest its case by the end of September, allowing the defense to begin presenting its case in October and potentially wrapping up the trial before December.
“Hopefully by the end of September we’re done… para meron pong pagkakataon yung depensa na mailatag yung ebidensya from October until probably the end of, or middle of, November,” he said.
[Translation: Hopefully, we’re done by the end of September so that the defense will have an opportunity to present its evidence from October until probably the end of, or middle of, November.]
The Impeachment Court held a session for only a day this week due to nonstop rains that caused heavy flooding in parts of Metro Manila.
Ridon said holding hearings on Thursdays in addition to the current Monday-Wednesday schedule would be more feasible than adding Fridays or Saturdays, given the workload of the Senate staff.
“Di lang naman paglilitis ginagawa nila, meron din silang ibang legislative work outside impeachment,” Ridon said.
[Translation:They are not only attending to the trial needs, they have legislative work outside impeachment.]
Ridon also said delays can come from both sides, citing the defense’s initial refusal to agree to common exhibits, including acknowledgment receipts. He said the issue has since been resolved.
“Yung mga pwedeng ma-stipulate na common exhibits, ‘di na dapat pinapatagal, lalo na’t galing din naman sa kanila itong mga dokumento,” he said.
[Translation: Common exhibits that can be stipulated to should not be unnecessarily prolonged, especially when these documents also came from them.]
Ridon said, however, that speeding up the proceedings should not mean rushing the trial, stressing that the prosecution, defense, and senator-judges should have enough time to present their cases and hear arguments.
Ridon also defended the prosecution’s witnesses, saying they have presented different aspects of the allegations against Duterte. He said witnesses from the National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine Statistics Authority, and other agencies are expected to testify in the coming weeks.
He said the prosecution will abide by whatever schedule the impeachment court decides.
