Members of the House prosecution panel were caught off guard by lead prosecutor Gerville Luistro’s sudden announcement that former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV would no longer be presented as a witness in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
According to a report by RHTV Denisse Osorio, House Prosecutor and Bukidnon 2nd District Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores said he was focused on the direct examination of witnesses during Thursday’s proceedings and was not aware of the decision involving Trillanes.
Flores said the prosecution panel needed to make the most of the allotted time following changes to the impeachment court’s schedule.
He said the adjustments may have caused difficulties in coordinating the presentation of witnesses and ensuring that the time allocated for the trial would be used efficiently.
Several members of the House prosecution team also indicated that Trillanes had not been completely removed from consideration as a witness under Article II of the impeachment complaint.
Meanwhile, in a social media post on Thursday, Trillanes said he remains ready to testify in the impeachment trial.
