House prosecutor and Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon challenged the defense panel to do better during the impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte, as he felt the questions raised during cross-examination did nothing to diminish the fourth Article of Impeachment, or the assertion that Duterte had issued grave threats against the President.

“May mensahe po tayo sa depensa: ‘Yan na po ‘yung best niyo? Parang, galingan niyo pa ng kaunti. Kasi even if they had raised document (discrepancies) on cross (examination), it did not (diminish) the threat itself… Ang pinag-uusapan pa rin po natin dito, ‘yun pong banta ng Pangalawang Pangulo sa Pangulo, sa House Speaker, at sa First Lady. So hindi po nagbabago ‘yun. Tuloy pa rin ‘yun,” Ridon began the press conference on Monday morning.

He pointed out that while the defense lawyers were nitpicking the documents exchanged between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and its sub-agency, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the allegation of grave threats still stands.

“We’ll let them nitpick on all of these documents, no problem. Kasi hindi po nagbabago ‘yung fact nay mayroon pong pagbabanta,” the lawmaker said.

“Hindi nagbabago ‘yung fact na mayroong nagbanta, mayroong pagbabanta, at mayroon pong pinagbantaan,” he added.

Ridon said the defense’s line of questioning was “laughable” and stating the obvious.

“Nakakatawa po ‘yung tanungan! Sa totoo lang, parang mga no-brainer ‘yung mga tanong noong cross-examination,” he said, citing their counterparts’ question regarding the Office of the President’s control over the DOJ and NBI.

While he understands that the defense likely intended to affirm the Malacañang’s influence over the said agencies, Ridon noted that these fall under the executive branch of the government, which answers directly to the President.

Deputy Speaker and Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin agreed that the defense’s claim is that the NBI’s acts of “compliance” to orders from the DOJ actually indicates “revisions.”

Furthermore, to illustrate the irrelevance of the defense’s nitpicking, Garin likened the situation to the recent news of an airline pilot who brandished his firearm at a driver and his partner during a parking dispute.

She said that the defense’s questions were akin to asking whether the driver’s partner had blonde hair or had applied her makeup well, rather than probing whether the pilot meant to intimidate the other driver.

“Wala siyang importansya doon sa isyu,” Garin said. “Ang malaking katanungan doon: bakit ba tila nililihis ng defense ‘yung issue? Bakit hindi nila sagutin (kung) totoo ba o hindi ‘yung pagbabanta ng pagpatay, AI ba ‘yun o hindi, at ‘yung pagbanta ng pagpapatay na ating mga opisyal… ‘yun ba ay component ng betrayal of public trust… which is an impeachable offense?”

On Monday, Atty. Mark Vinluan, a defense lawyer, denied that Vice President Duterte contracted an assassin to target President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, and his cousin, former Speaker Martin Romualdez on the occasion that Duterte herself is killed first.

“That is our answer, Your Honor, that she didn’t,” Vinluan addressed Senator-Judge Bam Aquino.