Prosecution calls on defense to present ‘better’ witnesses

MANILA — The prosecution panel on Tuesday called on the defense counsel of the Vice President Sara Duterte to present “better witnesses,” citing the “evasive” answers of the first set of witnesses they presented in the impeachment trial.

“Moving forward, we are expecting the next couple of days na dapat ayusin naman ng depensa yung presentasyon ng ebidensya,” House prosecutor Rep. Terry Ridon said after the 41st day of the trial. 

“Kasi sa loob po ng dalawang araw, yung pong dalawa sa tatlong testigo parang nilalaro lang po yung Senate impeachment court,” he added. 

Ridon was referring to Davao City assessor Engr. Jaime Adalin who earlier denied having remembered a China trip in 2025, and Davao city accountant Vingelin Bajan who also initially forgot being a partner in an accounting firm linked to Duterte and her husband. 

Private prosecutor Atty. Jay Tolosa pointed out that the observation regarding the evasiveness of the witnesses came from the senator judges themselves. 

“This came from a number of senator judges… na paulit-ulit sinasabi nga baka kanina may warning pa we may cite you in contempt already dahil mga simpleng questions di masagot,” he added. 

However, Ridon acknowledged that the witnesses’ hesitation in answering questions may be because they both still work under the local government, where the respondent’s brother Baste Duterte remains seated as city mayor. 

“These personalities will have to go home, go back to their families in Davao, go back to the city hall and continue serving the mayor who is the brother of the Vice President,” he said. 

“So it is a heavy weight on these witnesses,” Ridon added. 

The defense is set to present next on Wednesday, the supposed first witness Atty. Suzette Balucanag-Punay, the corporate counsel of GenCorp Industries Inc. and Metro City Chow Foods Corporation.