More allegations against Vice President Sara Duterte were denied than admitted during the recent pre-trial conference of her impeachment case on Thursday, June 18, according to Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro.

Luistro said the beginning of the pre-trial proceedings included some admissions from the defense team but stressed that most of the matters raised were not accepted by the camp of the vice president.

She said this development was expected given the adversarial nature of the impeachment process.

“There are some na may admission pero syempre anticipated na mas marami ang denial. But we cannot delve into the details of this,” Luistro said in an interview on DZRH’s Dos Por Dos.

She added that the prosecution and defense are expected to take opposing positions in the stipulation of facts.

Luistro emphasized that the impeachment proceedings are inherently contentious, with both sides presenting conflicting arguments as part of due process.

The lawmaker also confirmed that the marking of exhibits began during the pre-trial conference and is expected to be completed by Monday, as the case involves four articles of impeachment.

Once completed, Luistro said the next step will be the issuance of a pre-trial order. She added that if there are concerns or inaccuracies in what was recorded during the pre-trial conference, either side may file a comment to address them.

Luistro noted that the formal impeachment trial is set to begin on July 6 and is expected to proceed continuously.

She also expressed appreciation for the impeachment court, prosecution, and defense teams for working toward an expedited pre-trial process, citing public expectation for the immediate start of the trial proceedings.