MANILA — The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio on argued before the Senate impeachment court that House prosecutors failed to present competent evidence to support allegations that she hired an assassin to kill President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., insisting that the prosecution itself effectively admitted it could not prove the charge.
During the third day of Duterte-Carpio’s impeachment trial, defense lawyer Mark Vinluan said the prosecution had failed to establish one of the key allegations in the impeachment complaint.
“The prosecution’s admission before this honorable court made the respondent’s position clear. The prosecution has no other competent evidence to prove that VP Sara contracted an assassin,” Vinluan said.
“Ang testimony ni Calilung, gaya ng iba pang ebidensya kuno ng prosecution, ay hindi sapat para patunayan ang paratang na ito,” he added.
The defense made the argument after National Bureau of Investigation Senior Agent John Mark Calilung, the prosecution’s first witness, underwent cross-examination by defense lawyer Carlo Joaquin Narvasa.
During the cross-examination, Narvasa presented a portion of a video showing a virtual press conference conducted by Office of the Vice President chief of staff Zuleika Lopez. The defense argued that Duterte-Carpio’s alleged grave threats were made in response to Lopez’s detention.
Vinluan further maintained that the Vice President’s statements stemmed from what the defense described as threats against Duterte-Carpio and her family under an alleged “Operation Romanov.”
“The truth of the matter is this: She and her family were threatened, and while her response was unconventional, it was justified. What triggered her response was a question about ‘Operation Romanov’, which is the plot to eliminate VP Sara and her entire family,” Vinluan said.
“When VP Sara uttered those words, she was not responding as Sara Duterte, the Vice-President, but Sara Duterte, the wife, mother, daughter, and sister who only sought to protect her own and her family members’ lives. ‘Operation Romanov’ is in place, and the threat against their lives is real. VP Sara became the target of unauthorized intelligence and surveillance operations by government operatives that exposed her family to high-level risks and security threats, thereby causing intense trauma and uncontrollable fear,” he added.
Meanwhile, defense spokesperson Michael Poa said the legal team was satisfied with its performance during the day’s proceedings, saying it accomplished its objectives in challenging the prosecution’s evidence.
“Definitely, 10/10 din para sa akin ang score. We’re very happy we hit our targets but as to ‘yung scoring kung nanalo ba kami today or yesterday, we don’t do that,” Poa told reporters.
“We had targets and we were able to hit our targets. We were able to accomplish a lot today,” he added./PN
