MANILA – The House prosecution panel will present additional witnesses next week as it seeks to reinforce its case against Vice President Sara Duterte when the Senate impeachment trial enters its second week.

According to a report, it said that speaking during a news forum on Saturday, House prosecutors Reps. Leila de Lima and Chel Diokno said the proceedings are expected to become more intensive following the presentation of the prosecution’s initial witness.

“Impeachment is always exciting,” Diokno said.

“Of course, our start required us to establish the foundation. Now, the different features of the house will finally become visible. That is why I think the interest of everyone watching will intensify even more this coming week and in the weeks to follow,” he added.

The prosecution has been allotted 11 trial days to present evidence on the fourth Article of Impeachment, which accuses Duterte of issuing grave threats and plotting the assassination of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

De Lima said the first week of the proceedings focused on laying the foundation for the prosecution’s case through the testimony of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Senior Agent John Mark Calilung.

“There would of course be additional witnesses; the others have already been subpoenaed,” de Lima said.

“We will add to and expand the testimony of senior agent Mark Calilung. We will strengthen it, of course, because that was just the foundation. So brick by brick, we’re going to make it stronger,” she added, noting that the evidence for the fourth article is primarily testimonial.

She identified NBI Regional Director Atty. Jeremy Lotoc, House Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms Legislative Security Bureau Executive Director Capt. Belinda Bello, and NBI Director Jaime Matibag as among the witnesses expected to testify.

De Lima also confirmed that Office of the Vice President Chief of Staff Atty. Zuleika Lopez has been subpoenaed by the impeachment court.

According to De Lima, Lotoc, who supervised the investigation into Duterte’s alleged threats, is expected to play a significant role in the prosecution’s presentation.

“He will explain why and how they analyzed the evidence and the videos that were presented and authenticated during Senior Agent Calilung’s testimony,” De Lima said.

“What is the story there? What was the result of their investigation? He will detail the follow-up operations.”

She said Lotoc would also discuss the basis for the NBI’s decision to refer the case to the Department of Justice.

“They found probable cause at the investigator level for a grave threats case. He will explain the circumstances, the conditions, the context, and the sheer seriousness of those threats based on their findings,” she said.

De Lima declined to reveal how the prosecution intends to examine Lopez, saying only that she is expected to be presented as a hostile witness.

“We cannot, of course, at this point, disclose the direction or focus of the investigation, especially since she [Lopez] will be presented as a hostile witness,” she said.

“The prosecution’s assessment of who and what evidence to present next will depend on the outcome of the testimony of the preceding witness, Atty. Lotoc.”

Earlier, Senate impeachment court Presiding Officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero ordered the issuance of a subpoena directing Lopez to appear before the court on July 13 or 14 after the prosecution finalized its witness lineup.

House prosecutor Rep. Lorenz Defensor said Lotoc is scheduled to testify on Monday, followed by Lopez on Tuesday. Bello is likewise expected to take the witness stand next week.

The prosecution said Lopez’s testimony is considered material to the allegations against Duterte and to the authentication of documentary and other evidence.

The impeachment court also confirmed that the sealed Bureau of Internal Revenue records earlier ordered returned had already been delivered back to the agency unopened.

Escudero directed both the prosecution and the defense to submit memoranda by Monday on the request for a subpoena covering BIR records. The issue will be heard together with the request involving bank records on Wednesday, with each side allotted 10 minutes for oral arguments and three minutes each for rebuttal and surrebuttal.

Before adjourning Friday’s proceedings, Senator-judge Bam Aquino appealed to both parties to make the presentation of evidence more efficient after the first witness spent about nine hours on the stand.

“This is a plea. This is not an order to both parties,” Aquino said, urging both camps to present evidence in a way that would be easier for the public and senator-judges to follow.

During the forum, De Lima also commented on Lopez’s recent remark telling reporters to “prepare for Typhoon Inday” upon arriving at the Senate for a coordination meeting with Senate Secretary and Clerk of Court Renato Bantug Jr.

“There is a double meaning to those words. It’s true there is a typhoon named Inday, and we saw the severe rains and flooding in NCR, so literally, it is correct,” De Lima said.

“But it can also be interpreted in another manner relative to the impeachment. Is the other side planning another maneuver to derail or delay the impeachment trial just because her chief of staff was subpoenaed? We just hope she was only referring to the literal meaning.”