Sen. Chiz Escudero, presiding officer of the Senate impeachment court handling Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial, expressed his “slight impatience” with the prosecution panel for dwelling on minor food details, including ketchup, hotdogs and fried chicken, as he sought to save the court’s time.
During the prosecution team’s direct examination of PhilGEPS chief Rendell Sopeña, Escudero asked House lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro to skip detailed descriptions of food items in a catering contract procured by the Davao City local government.
Luistro had been discussing ketchup, hotdogs and meal descriptions under a roughly ₱56,000 contract awarded to GenCorp Industries Inc.
“This contract is for ₱50,000, and you’re talking about catsup,” Escudero told Luistro. “I’m giving you a lot of leeway here.”
Escudero pointed out that Duterte had declared GenCorp as a business interest in her SALN, while an earlier prosecution witness testified that she was not listed as a company stockholder. He urged prosecutors to first establish that connection before spending additional court time on individual contract details.
“You have to understand the court’s slight impatience with respect to this document, if you will do this with the rest,” he said.
PhilGEPS Division Chief Rendell Sopeña testified that GenCorp secured 49 government contracts worth about ₱35.88 million during Duterte’s vice-presidential term, including 33 contracts from PhilHealth Region XI. The records established that the transactions took place, but did not show any finding that they were irregular, that Duterte influenced their award or that she received money from them.
Escudero intervened again after defense lawyer Roberto Batungbacal noticed Sopeña referring to papers while testifying. When the witness said he was consulting documents, Escudero directed him to seek permission before using any material.
Earlier, SEC Director Gerardo del Rosario acknowledged that he had no personal knowledge of Duterte’s SALNs or the companies’ operations. He also confirmed that companies are not legally required to declare dividends.
Escudero did not grant every defense objection, but his interventions kept the proceedings focused on the evidence and prevented the hearing from getting bogged down in details not yet connected to Duterte. Prosecutors still have to establish a link between the ₱35.88 million in contracts and her ownership or financial interests.
