House private prosecutor Atty. Lorna Kapunan on Wednesday, August 19, called for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte to be held in the afternoon and, when possible, to hold longer sessions to allow more Filipinos to follow the proceedings and prevent interruptions to witness testimony.
Speaking during the House prosecution panel’s press conference, Kapunan said afternoon hearings would make the proceedings more accessible to the public, particularly those who are working or attending to household responsibilities in the morning.
“The reason I think afternoon is better, lalong-lalo na sa mga kababayan natin, sa umaga nasa opisina sila or hinahatid-sundo ang mga anak. Pagdating nila, magluluto sila ng lunch. Mamaya, eh, hapon na, no?” Kapunan said.
She said holding hearings later in the day would give more people the opportunity to watch the trial live instead of relying only on news reports or online videos.
“Maganda yung hapon para maabutan natin yung mga nakauwi na. Mapapanood nila live, hindi lang sa news or sa YouTube, ang impeachment proceedings,” she added.
Kapunan also emphasized the importance of keeping a witness’ direct examination, cross-examination, redirect and recross examination within the same hearing whenever possible. She warned that interruptions or postponements could potentially give hostile witnesses an opportunity to discuss their testimony with lawyers before returning to the stand.
“Ang mahirap pag pinuputol ang testimony, lalong-lalo na kami as lawyers, naintindihan natin na pag pinutol ang testimony ng isang witness, lalo na isang hostile witness, eh pwedeng i-coach,” Kapunan said.
She clarified that the prosecution was not necessarily accusing the defense team of acting in bad faith, but argued that continuous testimony would be preferable to avoid any possibility of witnesses being coached between hearings.
“Not to preempt bad faith, no? But it is better na continuous. Continuous ang direct, continuous ang cross, redirect, recross ng isang witness sa isang setting, isang araw. Yun ang ideal,” she said.
Kapunan suggested that hearings could begin at 3 p.m. and continue into the evening to accommodate a longer session.
She also praised the current procedure allowing senator-judges to ask their questions after the lawyers’ examinations, saying this prevents witnesses from being repeatedly interrupted during their testimony.
“Maganda yung procedure ngayon, the senator or judges can ask at the end, no? Para hindi ma-interrupt ang testimony ng witnesses,” Kapunan said.
Kapunan further proposed Friday as a possible additional hearing day, noting that government employees in both the House and Senate would not have their regular work schedules that day.
“Friday is a good day to have a whole day kasi wala namang pasok. I think in both houses... wala rin tayong pasok. So, it's a good day to have an additional impeachment schedule,” she said.
The proposal comes as the Senate continues proceedings on the impeachment case against Vice President Duterte, with the House prosecution seeking to maintain momentum in presenting and examining its witnesses.
