The disclosure of evidence should not be feared, but its concealment, asserted the House prosecution team on Wednesday, July 15.

“So hayaan natin, huwag nating pangunahan, at huwag nating katakutan ‘yung paglatag ng ebidensya. Kung mayroong kakatakutan, siguro yung paghadlang sa ebidensya,” private prosecutor Atty. Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa said during a press conference.

He explained that obscuring information pertinent to the case does not respect the Senate impeachment court’s mandate, as it impairs fair judgement from all angles.

“In connection to that, ito ay isa doon sa panawagan at pagre-respeto din doon sa mandato ng Senado to try and decide ang impeachment case. Dahil unang-una, mabibigyan ho para sa amin itong pag-presenta ng itong mga ebidensya na ito, maibibigyan po ng lahat ng anggulo ang impeachment court na mag-decide sa kanilang judgment, mag-arrive into judgment with all the complete evidence and the whole picture in order for them to appreciate and eventually to arrive into an impartial and sound judgment,” he reasoned.

To provide the court with the “whole picture” and allow the proper execution of its mandate, all relevant documents and testimonies must be made accessible, the lawyer told the media.

Later, during the resumption of the impeachment trial, Prosecutor and Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno stressed that the truth should not be kept confidential in his oral argument urging the issuance of a subpoena for Vice President Sara Duterte’s records under the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

Prior to this, the defense panel maintained that such a subpoena violates the Bank Secrecy Law.