00:00Sa lunes, ipagpapatuloy ang pre-trial conference kaugnay po ng impeachment trial ni Vice President Sara Duterte.
00:07At kaugnay po niyan, kausapin natin si House Prosecution Lead at Matanga 2nd District Rep. Jerviel Luistro.
00:14Magandang umaga po at welcome sa Balitang Hali, ma'am.
00:18Good morning Connie and thank you for having me here sa Balitang Hali. Good morning po sa lahat ng mga
00:23sumusubaybay ng...
00:25Opo, kabasta po ang nangyaring pre-trial conference kahapon? Makikimalita lamang po kami.
00:30Well, Connie, I must say na aligned ang Prosecution, Defense, and even the Impeachment Court in the purpose of this
00:40pre-trial conference.
00:42Gusto natin ibahagi sa ating mga kababayan.
00:45Kaya po may ginagawang pre-trial conference ay upang mapag-usapan kung paano magiging simple, mabilis, at patas ang gaganaping
00:56trial.
00:58Napapaloob po dito yung ating mga proposed stipulation of facts which means yung mga bagay na pwede nang i-admit
01:05ng magkabilang panig ay pwede gawin na during pre-trial conference upang mabawasan ang mga disputed issues during the trial.
01:15Second, yung submission po ng ating mga list of witnesses, ginagawa din po yan during pre-trial conference, as well
01:23as the marking of our exhibits.
01:25So yung nangyari kahapon, submitted na lahat except hindi po tayo natapos sa marking of our exhibits dahil voluminous po
01:35ang ating ebidensya, most especially pagdating po sa unexplained wealth at saka sa confidential fund.
01:42Ito po ang dahilan kung bakit magpapatuloy ang ating pre-trial conference, specifically dito sa marking of exhibits ngayong pagdarating
01:51na lunes.
01:51I see. At ano ho daw ba ang dahilan na sinasabi ho naging tensyon daw ha sa prosecution at defense
01:58teams? Meron ho ba?
02:00Well, ang gusto natin ipaunawa, Connie, itong impeachment trial, adversarial to. By adversarial, it means the position of the prosecution
02:11is completely opposite to the position of the defense.
02:16And that is why it is highly anticipated na maraming disagreements. Doon na lang, for example, sa proposed stipulation of
02:24facts, of course, hindi natin pwedeng asahan na lahat i-admit.
02:28Of course, mas marami, i-deny. The same is true with respect to the proposed stipulation of facts ng depensa.
02:36So, yun pong disagreement, yun po'y anticipated sapagkat magkaibang magkaiba po ang posisyon ng prosecution at ng defense.
02:45Habang ang prosecution na nag-aakusa, ang depensa naman po ang lumalaban sa mga ebidensya ang inilalatag ng prosecution.
02:53Normal po yun sa isang adversarial proceeding.
02:55Opo, kanina po nakausap din natin si Representative Adyong at nabanggit niya na isinusulong talaga ho ng depensa na huwag
03:03nang matuloy itong impeachment in so far as they're concerned.
03:07Ito ho ba yung naging basihan kaya kung bakit nagkaroon ng disagreement?
03:12Well, it is because we wanted to expedite the process of PTC, pre-trial conference, which later on naman ay
03:23napagkasundoan din na depends sa karna ng prosecution.
03:29As a matter of fact, kaya nang sinabi ko Connie, submitted na lahat for the marking of exhibit na hindi
03:37natin natapos.
03:38Napag-usapan din ho ba o na-resolve yung issue tungkol pa rin po sa 16 votes out of 24
03:44or 15 kaya out of 22 na active members?
03:47Ang kakailangan ng boto para humakonvict si VP Sarah?
03:51Alam mo Connie, yung issue na yan, that will be premature kung dito i-re-raise sa pre-trial conference.
03:58I don't know if during the trial ay ito ay mapag-uusapan between and among the senator judges, the prosecution
04:07and the defense.
04:08It will depend on the presiding officer kung iaalaw niya ang deliberation about the proper interpretation of the threshold.
04:18Two-thirds of all. Kung paano ba yan i-interpret as to whether we will be applying as well the
04:25doctrine of Avellino versus Cuenco.
04:29Alright. Meron ho ba sa tingin ninyo na malaking kaibahan kung hindi ho abogado ang presiding officer sa trial?
04:36O kailangan ba talaga na abogado?
04:40Alam mo Connie, to be honest, I am a lawyer, but I don't see any difference kung non-lawyer ang
04:47mag-pre-preside.
04:48Why? Because we have to remember that this impeachment trial is not a purely legal process.
04:55It is likewise a political, a constitutional process, and we have to take note ang kapangyarihan ibinigay sa kongreso, sa
05:06legislative.
05:07In which case, our senator judges, not all of them are lawyers.
05:11Ibig sabihin, ang paramount dito is the determination of truth regardless of so much concern about the procedural and technicalities.
05:24This is actually the position of the prosecution, that in case of doubts, in case of disagreements, dapat mas mag
05:34-prevail ang substance kesa sa technicalities.
05:37And that is why I am inclined to believe na kahit non-lawyer, so long as he or she is
05:48committed to the mandate of the Constitution, I am sure kaya niyang i-handle ito very well.
05:55Okay. Sa amin pong panayam dito sa Balitanghali, ma'am, kahapon, kay UP political science professor Jean Encinas, sabi niya
06:02ho, eh, hindi raw perfect fit si Senator Cheez Escudero na maging presiding officer dahil pa rin po sa issue
06:09ng fourth wave at pagkakadawit niya sa flood control scandal.
06:13Ano po ang inyong posisyon naman tungkol dyan?
06:15Well, Connie, we have to understand that the circumstances surrounding the first impeachment is entirely different with the circumstances surrounding
06:25the present impeachment, no?
06:28So, huwag po natin i-prejudge si Senator Cheez Escudero kung siya man po ang ma-designate na presiding officer.
06:39Kasi ang aking humble opinion dyan, eh, constitutional mandate to, eh.
06:44Regardless of who will be the presiding officer, ang mahalaga, committed tayo doon sa process, no?
06:52Siguro yun ang dapat natin marinig at makita from Senator Cheez Escudero as to whether he is committed now to
07:00the accountability mechanism, this impeachment process.
07:03But let us not prejudge him sapagkat iba po yung circumstances doon, iba yung circumstances ngayon.
07:11Kaya let's give him the benefit of the doubt.
07:14Hindi naman po, porke naging posisyon niya doon sa first impeachment is different from our interpretation of forthwind.
07:21Eh, hindi pa naman po natin naririnig.
07:23As a matter of fact, wala akong nakikita interview ni Senator Cheez, no?
07:27As to his appreciation of the present impeachment.
07:30Let us give him the benefit of the doubt.
07:33Dahil magkaiba po.
07:34Magkaiba ang sitwasyon noon sa ngayon.
07:36Okay. Sa kasalukuyang komposisyon po ng mga senador sa ilalim po ng bagong liderato, papaano niyo ho nakikita ang magiging
07:42direksyon ng impeachment trial?
07:48Well, we are positive, Connie, no?
07:50Na magdidire-direksyon na ito.
07:52As a matter of fact, in passing, na-mention na talagang July 6 ang start ng ating trial, no?
07:59Presentation of evidence na yun.
08:00And we are positive about that.
08:03We are welcoming that sapagkat, you will understand, dalawang tao na ito, 19 Congress pa tayo nag-umpisa dito.
08:10The grounds are almost similar and I believe that the people of the Philippines are waiting for this trial already.
08:18Okay. Marami pong salamat sa inyo pong oras na ibinahagi sa balitang hali, ma'am.
08:23Thank you, Connie, and thank you sa lahat ng sumusubaybay.
08:27Yan po naman si House Prosecution Lead, Rep. Jerviel Luistro.
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