Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial is likely to extend beyond September, with both lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro and defense spokesperson Michael Poa acknowledging that a three-month timetable may be difficult to meet given the volume of witnesses and evidence expected from both sides.
Duterte’s defense team has asked the impeachment court for at least 30 trial days to present its case.
The defense listed 97 witnesses in its pre-trial brief, while the prosecution has requested 62 trial dates for the presentation of its own evidence.
“Maybe it is an indication that there’s really no intention to produce all of those witnesses, but of course, we don’t want to pre-empt what actions they would want to do,” House legal spokesperson and private prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa Jr. said.
Tolosa also disclosed that both sides share 51 common witnesses, consisting of 16 named and 35 unnamed individuals. On the documentary side, 248 of the prosecution’s 276 exhibits were likewise identified by the defense as part of its evidence.
Lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro said the number of witnesses and exhibits from both parties could make it difficult for the trial to conclude by September.
“If I would consider the number of witnesses and exhibits of both parties, mukhang hindi kakayanin na hanggang September lang,” Luistro told reporters.
Defense spokesperson Michael Poa shared the same assessment, saying a three-month timetable for the proceedings may be too tight.
“Sa tingin ko, three months is a bit tight. We agree on that point. Both sides naman po talagang we’re trying to speed things up,” Poa said.
The trial proper is scheduled to begin on July 6.
