House impeachment trial spokesperson and Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co described Vice President Sara Duterte's pre-trial brief as “tunog lata” (sounding like an empty can) for lacking substance and failing to directly address the main allegations against her.
According to Co, the defense failed to provide clear explanations regarding the alleged misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, corruption, and threats against high-ranking government officials. Co also noted that while the pre-trial brief stated the defense would present witnesses and documents to rebut the allegations, it did not detail how this would be done.
Co also raised the issue of acknowledgment receipts bearing the name “Mary Grace Piattos,” which the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) certified as having no record in its database.
The Senate impeachment court is set to begin the trial on July 6 after completing the pre-trial process. “The pre-trial brief sets the tone on how the defense will structure its answers. So if the pre-trial brief already sounds empty, what more can we expect during the trial proper?” Co said.
Co emphasized that the defense is not taking the process seriously. “There is no detail on why this evidence is being introduced, why this witness is being introduced. The public must be more vigilant and scrutinizing of the answers during the trial proper,” she added.
