MANILA, Philippines – Posible ang pag-waive sa presentasyon at diskusyon ng article sa Articles of Impeachment kug makita ng prosekusyon na matibay na ang kaso laban kay Vice President Sara Duterte, ayon kay Manila Rep. Joel Chua sa press briefing nitong Huwebes, Hulyo 16.
Ani Chua, may iba’t ibang salik, katulad ng pag-waive sa article, para mabawasan pa ang haba ng mga panahong kinakailangan para sa paglilitis.
Dagdag pa niya, ikokonsidera nila ito kapag matibay ang kaso at umaapaw ang ebidensya.
“Well, we will see what will happen in the next articles,” anang mambabatas.
“So if we think — like I what I mentioned earlier – after 1, 2, 3, – we really think that we have a strong, overflowing evidence, and we think it will be of help to the impeachment court that we can shorten the hearing, then we can consider it,” dagdag pa nito.
“But as of now, of course, we are in the process of presenting all of these. So what I am saying are mere possibilities.”
Sinabi ni Chua na pinag-aaralan pa ng prosekusyon kung paano pa mapabibilis ang paglilitis, katulad ng pagbawi sa ilang witness, lalo pa’t nagtanong na ang mga senator-judge na mas nagpalinaw pa sa kaso.
Ipinaalala ni Atty. Lorna Kapunan, counsel para sa prosecution team, ang naganap sa impeachment trial ni dating Chief Justice Renato Corona, kung saan nagpresenta ang public prosecutors ng ilang article ngunit iniurong ito at nagpresenta lamang ng dalawang article.
Ang mga article na ito ay ang unexplained wealth at bigong pagdeklara sa kanyang yaman sa Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).
“During the time of Corona, they presented a lot of articles. They have a lot of grounds, but they just reduced it to unexplained (wealth) and non-declaration of wealth (in the SALN),” pag-aalala ni Kapunan.
“So it is a determination to be made collectively,” sinabi pa nito.
Samantala, nilinaw naman ni Kapunan na ang desisyon kung iwi-waive ng prosekusyon ang article ay nakadepende sa public prosecutors.
“We are the counsel for the (prosecution) under direct control and supervision of the House panel of prosecutors,” aniya.
“Although we are counsels, the decision will really lie with the public prosecutors, because we act under the control and supervision,” paliwanag pa nito.
“And it’s a matter of strategy. It’s a matter of strategy,” pag-uulit ni Kapunan.
“It does not mean that if we minimize the number of witnesses to be presented, if we subtract testimonies, it will weaken the case.” RNT/JGC
