Metro Manila, Philippines – House prosecutor Terry Ridon criticized on Tuesday, Nov. 3, the defense’s blanket objection to all evidence submitted by the prosecution in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, saying it could leave the Senate Impeachment Court with no evidence to consider.
Ridon said the defense objected to every piece of evidence in the prosecution’s formal offer, including Duterte’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN), bank records, insurance documents, Bureau of Internal Revenue records and Anti-Money Laundering Council documents.
“Medyo nakakatawa na meron silang blanket objection sa lahat po ng pirasong ebidensya na isinumiti po ng prosecution,” Ridon said.
He said the prosecution would leave it to the Senate Impeachment Court to determine whether the evidence should be admitted, noting that the documents and testimonies had already undergone cross-examination.
Ridon also rejected the defense characterization of the proceedings as a fishing expedition, saying the evidence came from legal processes undertaken during the House and Senate impeachment proceedings.
He challenged the defense to explain the allegations and evidence presented by the prosecution, particularly the findings on the Duterte couple’s declared wealth and financial records.
“Ang totoo naman ho, ang inaasahan ng mga kababayan natin, ano yung actual na paliwanag dito sa lahat po ng mga binanggit na ito?” he said.
Ridon also said the prosecution expects Duterte to answer questions about properties investigated by the National Bureau of Investigation, which the vice president had categorically denied owning.
The impeachment trial is scheduled to resume on Nov. 9, with proceedings expected to run throughout the following workweek, except for a break for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.
Ridon said the senator-judges had indicated they were looking at a decision by the end of November, or the first week of December at the latest.
