Manila: The House prosecution panel on Monday submitted a 57-page pretrial brief, along with documentary evidence it intends to present during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte. The filing comes days before the Senate impeachment court's scheduled pretrial conference on June 18, where both sides are expected to identify their evidence, witnesses and other matters that will govern the conduct of the trial.
According to Philippines News Agency, House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil filed the pleading on behalf of the 11-member prosecution team led by House Committee on Justice chairperson and Batangas Rep. Gerville 'Jinky Bitrics' Luistro. Garafil mentioned that they filed 29 copies of the legal brief, ensuring there are enough copies for all 24 senators. Additionally, the prosecution panel submitted the entries of appearance of the 10 private lawyers who will assist the House prosecutors during the impeachment proceedings.
Asked about the contents of the brief, Garafil declined to provide details, stating that she was not authorized to speak about it. She also did not elaborate on the witnesses identified in the prosecution's submission. Earlier in the day, Luistro announced in a press conference that the pretrial brief includes proposed stipulations of fact and a list of witnesses and documentary evidence that the prosecution intends to present before the Senate impeachment court.
Luistro disclosed that the prosecution plans to present more than 30 witnesses during the impeachment trial, mentioning that the list was expanded to include additional individuals whose testimony could help establish the allegations contained in the Articles of Impeachment. She explained that impeachment rules generally require witnesses to be identified during pretrial proceedings before they can be allowed to testify during the trial.
The Batangas lawmaker further added that the rules also allow parties to reserve certain witnesses and documentary evidence, provided their relevance and intended purpose are sufficiently described. She noted that this mechanism helps address security concerns involving witnesses and situations where documents may not yet be available during the pretrial stage.
