MANILA – The House prosecution panel has adjusted its lineup of lead prosecutors handling the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, as it intensifies preparations ahead of the expected Senate impeachment proceedings.

In a press briefing on Monday, lead prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro said the changes were made to strengthen readiness for pretrial processes.

Under the new assignments, Manila Rep. Joel Chua will lead the article concerning the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, while Bukidnon Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores will head the article on alleged bribery.

The leadership roles for the remaining two articles remain unchanged. Senior Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor continues to handle the article on alleged grave threats, while Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon retains lead responsibility for the article on alleged unexplained wealth.

Luistro said further adjustments remain possible as the panel finalizes its strategy.

“Hangga’t hindi natatapos ang presentation of evidence (Until the presentation of evidence is finished), please anticipate that there will be changes on the assignment of prosecutors,” she said.

“After all, ito po ay (this is the) exclusive authority of the prosecution to decide on how we will present our evidence, who to present, what to present, and when to present them,” she added.

The prosecution team is currently preparing for the pretrial conference, which will include stipulation of facts, identification of witnesses, and marking of documentary evidence.

“To be specific, kapag sinabi nating pre-trial conference, nagsu-submit tayo ng (when we say pre-trial conference, we submit) stipulation of facts, and then we respond whether to admit or to deny the stipulation of the defense team,” Luistro said.

“We also submit the list of the witnesses and we do the marking also of the exhibits which will be very, very helpful to us considering that three out of four articles have voluminous documents to consider,” she added.

She identified these as the cases involving alleged misuse of confidential funds, bribery, and unexplained wealth.

Luistro said the panel has not yet received official confirmation from the Senate impeachment court regarding the pretrial conference or trial schedule, despite earlier reports suggesting possible dates.

“We have no official information as a matter of fact, whether papayagan ba o hindi itong pre-trial conference na ito (if the pretrial conference will be allowed or not),” she said. “And even the first schedule of the trial, wala pa rin po tayong (we still don’t have the) official notice from the impeachment court.”

Still, she said the prosecution remains ready to proceed once the Senate formally acts as an impeachment court.

“But we look forward that since the Senate already convened the impeachment court, we are positive na magtutuloy-tuloy ito (that this will continue),” she said. “As far as the 11 prosecutors are concerned, kami po ay (we are) ready to appear before the impeachment court,” she added.

Luistro said the team is conducting workshops, reviewing evidence, and holding mock trials in preparation.

She also said any changes to the tentative schedule, including the reported June 15 pretrial and July 6 trial start, should advance the proceedings rather than delay them.

“If ever there will be changes to July 6, it should be earlier and not later,” she said.

Luistro also addressed concerns about possible disruptions to the impeachment process due to other Senate legislative matters, but expressed confidence in the senator-judges.

“So regardless of the controversies surrounding the members of the majority bloc, I still defer to their judgment in as far as the impeachment trial is concerned,” she said.

Duterte is expected to file her answer to the impeachment charges before the Senate impeachment court, with a deadline set under a 10-day period provided to her as respondent. The prosecution panel said it expects a substantive response and is prepared to submit its reply within five days under impeachment rules.