Palace Press Officer Usec. Claire Castro maintained that no time was wasted in the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte, saying the hearings had yielded facts and data that helped inform the public about the allegations against her.
Castro made the remarks during Thursday’s Malacañang press briefing following lawyer Paolo Panelo’s criticism that the Senate Impeachment Court had wasted public funds after allowing the prosecution to withdraw three of the four articles of impeachment against Duterte.
“Kung nagkaroon naman ng withdrawal ng three articles of impeachment, ito po ay nasa pagpapasya ng prosecution. Kung may nasayang bang oras, depende na po siguro sa tao kung paano nilang titingnan ito. Dahil mayroon naman din pong naisiwalat,” Castro said.
She noted that government officials had appeared as witnesses during the proceedings and that both the prosecution and defense had participated, including through the presentation of evidence, cross-examinations, and rebuttals.
Castro also rejected the possibility that the withdrawal of the three articles constituted a mistrial, arguing that Duterte’s defense team had been given sufficient opportunities to question the prosecution’s witnesses.
“Generally, and personally on my part, hindi siya matatawag na mistrial. Kung hindi nagkaroon ng cross-examination, the other party was not given the chance to cross-examine the witness presented, then that’s the time that we can say that there’s a mistrial,” she said.
The Palace official further argued that the defense team did not formally object to the prosecution’s motion to withdraw the three articles, pointing out that its lawyers had submitted a manifestation instead.
Castro cited the exchange between Senator-Judge Chiz Escudero and the defense, in which the latter clarified that its manifestation should not be considered an objection to the withdrawal.
“Ulitin ko, ang defense team, ang mga lawyers ng vice president, hindi sila nagbigay ng anumang objection. Manifestation lang ang kanilang sinabi,” Castro said.
She maintained that the absence of a formal objection supported the decision to grant the withdrawal, while emphasizing that her remarks should not be construed as prejudging the outcome of the impeachment proceedings.
