MANILA – The House prosecution panel said the first week of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial was a positive start, stressing that the outcome of the proceedings will ultimately depend on the evidence presented rather than the number of motions or objections raised in court.

The impeachment court concluded its first three trial days after hearing proceedings on Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment, which accuses Duterte of committing impeachable offenses through alleged grave threats against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

Speaking at a press briefing after Wednesday’s hearing, House impeachment prosecutor and San Juan City Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora said the prosecution was satisfied with its presentation despite exchanges with the defense over motions and objections.

“No, I wouldn’t say that, but I would say that it was a good week for the prosecution,” Zamora said when asked if the prosecution had gained momentum in the trial.

Former Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, an impeachment adviser and spokesperson for the prosecution panel, urged the public not to make early judgments on the proceedings.

“Umpisa pa lang naman ng ‘boxing,’ ika nga. Kumbaga kung sa basketball, first quarter pa lang ito (It’s only the start of ‘boxing,’ so they say. Like in basketball, it’s only in the first quarter),” Barbers said.

House impeachment prosecutor and 1-Rider Party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez likewise cautioned against viewing the trial as a contest based on the number of sustained objections or granted motions.

“In addition to that, and I think we’ve noticed that since Day 1, like if we look at public perception, naging tally na ‘yung nangyayari dito, nagbibilangan ng puntos kumbaga (what’s happening here already became a tally, like points are being counted),” Gutierrez said.

“But I think it’s very important to remember that this is not the process — the whole process of impeachment trial.”

Gutierrez said the proceedings should instead be evaluated based on the quality of the arguments, the relevance of the questions, and whether the evidence and testimony withstand direct and cross-examination.

“As to whether or not that was achieved for the prosecution this week, we cannot say. Of course, that’s on the merits, and it’s up to our senator-judges. We don’t want to, we wouldn’t want to say anything that would tend to prejudge the case, but all we can say is that, like Attorney Zamora, like Cong. Zamora said, it was a good week for the prosecution,” he said.

The prosecution panel also downplayed public attention on the frequent objections raised during the cross-examination of its first witness after Senate impeachment court Presiding Officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero remarked that private prosecutor Amando Virgil Ligutan appeared “frustrated.”

Zamora said objections are a normal part of any trial and should not be viewed as a measure of success or weakness.

“In any court case, in any trial, nangyayari naman po yan talaga (this really happens) between lawyers. Siguro gusto namin din ipaalam sa lahat na ang isang trial hindi napapanalunan sa dami ng mga motion mong nag-grant ng judge o ng justice (Perhaps we want to show to everyone that a trial is not won by the number of your motions granted by the judge or justice),” she said.

She added that what matters is the effective presentation of evidence, noting that objections are expected during both direct and cross-examinations.

Zamora also noted that the defense had likewise raised numerous objections during the second day of the trial.

Asked whether Ligutan had become frustrated, Zamora said, “Well, Atty. Ligutan is a seasoned lawyer. Kulang pa po ‘yan, sabi nga nila, sa kanilang ginagawa (That is still not enough, as they said, compared to what they’re doing) in a normal case.”

Gutierrez agreed, saying lawyers are duty-bound to raise objections whenever necessary to protect their clients’ interests.

The impeachment trial formally opened on July 6, with the Senate sitting as an impeachment court resolving pending pre-trial motions, electing Escudero as presiding officer, and hearing the opening statements of both the prosecution and defense.

The first 11 trial dates have been allotted to Article IV before the court proceeds to the remaining articles of impeachment.

Following the testimony of National Bureau of Investigation Senior Agent John Mark Calilung, the prosecution is scheduled to present NBI Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc on Monday, Office of the Vice President Chief of Staff lawyer Zuleika Lopez on Tuesday, and House of Representatives Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms Capt. Belinda Bello on Wednesday next week.