MANILA, Philippines — House prosecutors, Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno and Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima said Saturday that the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte seeks to address the allegations against her and examine the impact of violent rhetoric by public officials.
The lawmakers made the statements during the Saturday News Forum as the Senate impeachment court concluded the first week of trial proceedings.
De Lima said Duterte’s alleged grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez should not be viewed in isolation because prosecutors have also presented authenticated videos containing other statements made by the vice president.
She cited videos authenticated by National Bureau of Investigation Senior Agent John Mark Calilung that allegedly showed Duterte making remarks about beheading the president and exhuming the remains of the president’s father and throwing them into the West Philippine Sea.
De Lima said prosecutors consider the statements relevant in assessing Duterte’s conduct as a public official.
She also said statements made by high-ranking government officials could influence public behavior and shape perceptions about violence.
Diokno said the violence associated with former President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign became normalized in public discourse.
He said researchers should examine whether violent language used by public officials has contributed to violence in other sectors of society, including schools.
The Senate impeachment court has completed three trial days on Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment, which alleges that Duterte committed impeachable offenses, including betrayal of public trust, through her public statements.
The prosecution is scheduled to present three additional witnesses next week to support the testimony of Calilung, who authenticated the videos presented during the first week of the trial.