DEFENSE lawyers for Vice President Sara Duterte firmly maintained on Wednesday that the prosecution has failed to present any concrete evidence proving she hired a hitman, arguing that one of the central pillars of the impeachment complaint has fallen flat.
During the third day of the Senate impeachment trial on July 8, defense counsel Mark Vinluan targeted the prosecution’s reliance on a controversial video clip to establish the allegation of grave threats.
Vinluan argued that the prosecution effectively conceded the weakness of its case during the cross-examination of its first witness.
”The prosecution admitted that the video does not prove any fact other than its existence,” Vinluan stated to the impeachment court. “The prosecution has no other competent evidence to prove that VP Sara contracted an assassin.”
He added that attempting to build a narrative around the clip was a mischaracterization of her actual statements.
”The truth of the matter is this: She and her family were threatened,” Vinluan said, asserting that the Vice President’s remarks were an unconventional but reactive defense of her family’s safety.
Authentication of the November 2024 Video
The defense’s pushback followed the testimony of John Mark Calilung, a senior agent of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), who served as the prosecution’s opening witness.
Calilung testified that his role was strictly limited to the technical handling of the primary piece of evidence:
He preserved and authenticated the video recording.
The footage stems from an early-morning online Zoom conference in November 2024.
The recording serves as the foundation for the “grave threats” article of impeachment against the Vice President.
Under questioning, the defense pointed out that while the video itself is authentic, its contents do not legally substantiate the claim that any operational “contracting” or hiring of an assassin took place.
The trial is set to move forward next week, with the prosecution expected to call further witnesses to support the remaining articles of impeachment.
