MANILA, Philippines – Hindi dapat maging dahilan ang confidentiality para ibulsa ang pondo ng bayan, ayon sa prosecution team kasabay ng pagpresenta nito ng mga ebidensya laban kay Vice President Sara Duterte sa umano’y maling paggamit ng confidential funds.
Si Duterte ay inakusahan ng culpable violation of the constitution, graft and corruption, at betrayal of public trust kaugnay sa P612.5 milyon ng confidential funds na inilabas sa Office of the Vice President at Department of Education.
Bagamat ang confidential funds ay para sa mga sensitibo at surveillance-related activities, ipinunto ni House prosecutor at Rep. Leila de Lima na hindi ito nangangahulugan na “the conduct of the officials involved in the handling people’s money is exempted from the demands of transparency, scrutiny and accountability.”
“Public office is a public trust.’ That is what the Constitution says,” sinabi ni De Lima sa opening statement nito.
“It applies to everyone in government, and that constitutional mandate cannot be ignored simply because the funds are confidential.”
“Confidentiality is meant to protect legitimate operations and informants. It is not a license to invent names or fabricate documents. It is not an excuse to pocket public funds,” giit pa niya.
Binanggit din ni De Lima ang natatanging tungkulin ng impeachment court na alamin kung talagang nakagawa si Duterte ng culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption at betrayal of public trust.
“The evidence will show that she did,” aniya.
“This is not about one missing receipt. This is not about a clerical error or an accounting mistake. The evidence will reveal a pattern, a systemic course of conduct that taken as a whole demonstrates graft and corruption and betrayal of public trust.”
Patuloy naman na inirehistro ni defense counsel Michael Poa ang pagtutol nito at sinabing nauna nang nag-rule ang korte laban sa opening statements.
Sa kabila nito ay pinayagan ni presiding officer Senador Francis Escudero si De Lima na magpatuloy ngunit nagpaalala na iwasan ang conclusions of fact and law.
Ipinaliwanag din ni De Lima na ang kanyang opening statement ay naglalayon na maging overview ng kaso at ng kanilang ebidensya laban kay Duterte.
“Yes but again it’s the court position to let the witness speak, not the counsels in so far as the evidence is concerned or conclusions of both fact and law,” sinabi ni Escudero. RNT/JGC
