THE extrajudicial killings (EJK) case against impeached Vice President Sara Duterte, as outlined in the Articles of Impeachment, is backed by strong testimonial evidence and could lead to conviction, a House prosecutor said Monday.
Manila Rep. Joel Chua, a member of the House prosecution panel and chair of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, confirmed that Article 5 of the impeachment complaint, which accuses Duterte of high crimes, including murder and conspiracy to commit murder, is supported by direct testimony from former Davao police officer Arturo Lascañas.
“Kung hindi po ako nagkakamali, ‘yan po ay nasa Article 5 ng ating impeachment complaint. In so far as we are concerned, mayroon pong testimonial evidence na si Lascañas. So may direct evidence na nagpapatotoo nito,” Chua told reporters in a press conference.
He stressed that the presence of such direct testimonial evidence strengthens the case against the vice president.
“Kaya po kung tatanungin ninyo kung gaano kalakas dahil mayroon po testimonial evidence, eh masasabi ko na matibay at malakas po,” he added.
When asked if the prosecution is confident that the EJK-related charge could result in a conviction, Chua was categorical.
“Tama po kayo,” he said.
Chua explained that the impeachment complaint was carefully crafted and selected from the original complaints filed against the vice president, ensuring that only the strongest allegations backed by substantial evidence were included.
“Well, unang-una talaga kung ako po ang tatanungin ang pinakamatibay po dyan ‘yung Article 1 to 3. Pero ito po kasing dito sa sinampa po namin sa Articles of Impeachment, 7 lamang po ito. At ito po talaga ay pinag-aaralan at pinili from the previous na mga complaint at saka tinignan po namin kung ano sa tingin namin talagang backed with evidence,” he said.
He added that Article 5 includes Lascañas’ sworn statement regarding Duterte’s alleged role in Davao’s bloody anti-crime campaign when she was still mayor.
“Meron syang binanggit eh. Which was quoted in that article pero hindi ko masyadong ma-recall. Pero kinuha yan sa Quad Comm. Sa Quad Comm po kinuha ‘yun,” Chua explained.
The impeachment complaint against Duterte includes seven charges, which have been divided among House prosecutors for thorough review and presentation before the Senate.
“Patuloy pa rin po no. Kagaya nung nakaraan, hinati-hati na po ‘yung articles. Kung saan po ang bawat isa ay may mga assignment and at the same time pinag-aaralan ‘yung mga substansya ng bawat article at kung ano pa ‘yung possible na mga legal issues na amin pong kakaharapin,” he said.
Chua confirmed that he was assigned to handle the charges related to the misuse of confidential funds and bribery.
“Sa akin po, 2 at saka 3. Iyung confidential fund at saka ‘yung sa bribery,” he said.
Other House prosecutors have taken charge of the remaining articles, including the EJK-related charge under Article 5.
“Kung ‘di ako nagkakamali si Cong. Lorenz (Defensor) at saka si, meron pang isa, dalawa ‘yan eh. Hindi lang ako sure kung si Cong. Rodge or kasama ko si Cong. Rodge (Gutierrez). But definitely kasama ko si Cong. (Romeo) Acop at saka si Congresswoman Jinky (Luistro),” he said.
With the impeachment process now moving forward, Chua assured that the prosecution team is preparing for the Senate trial, ensuring that all evidence is properly examined and presented.
