Jamaine Punzalan

Sen. Robin Padilla joins the Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, July 15, 2026. Wendell Alinea, Senate Social Media Unit

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VP Sara Impeachment

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<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178476536818220260715-senate-impeachment-day6-SSMU-WA-6.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Sen. Robin Padilla joins the Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, July 15, 2026. Wendell Alinea, Senate Social Media Unit</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA — The prosecution asserted Thursday that it was its job to be “biased” towards pushing the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, after a call from Sen. Robin Padilla for the panel to refrain from being “one-sided.” </p><p>“In all adversarial proceedings, it is naturally anticipated na biased, biased talaga. We are biased for the prosecution and the defense is biased for the defense because that is our task,” lead House prosecutor Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said. </p><p>“Mas nakakagulat kung magiging neutral kami. At lalong mas nakakagulat if we will be defending the respondent because that will be inconsistent to our position,” she told DZMM. </p><p>Luistro added that if anyone should be “neutral” in the impeachment proceedings, it should be the senator-judges. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/22/senator-judges-remarks-on-day-9-of-impeachment-trial-spark-audible-reactions-2252">Senator-judges&#x27; remarks on Day 9 of impeachment trial spark audible reactions</a></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2a8W0MsfJvw?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><strong>PADILLA CLARIFIES REMARK</strong></div><p>During Wednesday’s impeachment trial, Padilla questioned Luistro on the use of alleged Duterte henchman Arturo Lascañas’ affidavit, which the senator said was “tainted by lies.”</p><p>He added that the prosecution should not rely on witnesses facing perjury complaints. </p><p>In a press release, Padilla clarified that his remarks were connected to the “wider issue of fairness and participation in the impeachment proceedings”, particularly the different situation of witnesses and some senator-judges who are facing legal cases. </p><p>The senator’s office pointed out that Luistro said conviction was not an automatic basis for the disqualification of witnesses. </p><p>“Ito ang kontekstong nais bigyang-diin ni Padilla sa paggamit niya ng salitang ‘one-sided,” his office said. </p><p>“Kung ang isang witness ay hindi awtomatikong disqualified kahit may conviction, bakit sa mga Senator-Judge na may kaso ngunit hindi naman convicted ay pinag-uusapan na ang posibilidad na hindi sila makapag-participate at kalaunan ay hindi pa maisama sa functional base?” the press release quoted Padilla as saying.</p><p>Senators Rodante Marcoleta and Jinggoy Estrada are detained for separate plunder cases. Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has also not attended any impeachment proceedings, dodging an arrest warrant against him issued by the International Criminal Court.</p><p>In a separate Facebook post, Padilla said Thursday: “Ang tungkulin ng prosecution (piskal) ay hindi para manalo, kundi para sa katotohanan at proteksyon ng inosente. Ang tungkulin naman ng defense (tagapagtanggol) ay ang pagtiyak sa karapatang pantao at balanse sa kapangyarihan.” </p><p>“Sa isang modelong sistemang legal, kapwa ang pag-uusig (prosecution) at ang pagtatanggol (defense) ay mga itinatag na haligi upang magsilbi sa iisang layunin: ang hustisya,” Padilla said. </p><p>“Ang hustisya ay dapat maging ganap na neutral, bulag sa mga alyansang politikal, at bingi sa mga bulong ng kapangyarihan, dahil sa sandaling pumili ito ng panig, nawawalan ito ng katuturan bilang hustisya at nagiging purong pang-aapi lamang.” </p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aCrljyGemK4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div> </div><div><strong>‘AMPLE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS’ </strong></div><div> </div><p>Meanwhile, Luistro said she hoped that both the prosecution and the defense could be given the opportunity to explain their answers to senator-judges during the trial. </p><p>“Because what I understand, yung pagtatanong ng senator-judges, they are supposed to be clarificatory questions to shed light kung saan may malalabo pang parte ng presentasyon ng ating mga testigo,” Luistro said in the DZMM interview. </p><p>“The parties, I think, with all due respect sa kanila, should be given ample opportunity to express, explain, justify their position,” she said. </p><p>Sen. Pia Cayetano this week had scolded Luistro and told her to &quot;do your job and present the proper witness and the proper documentation” as the senator questioned the lack of wet signature on Lascañas’s affidavit that had not been notarized. </p><p>Luistro asked if she could respond to that, with the senator saying: &quot;I&#x27;d rather not.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/22/luistro-says-she-felt-deprived-of-opportunity-to-explain-after-exchange-with-pia-cayetano-2042">Luistro says she felt ‘deprived of opportunity to explain’ after exchange with Pia Cayetano </a></div><p>Asked if she felt that some senator-judges had shown bias in the proceedings, Luistro said, “I wish to express my faith and confidence sa lahat ng senator-judges… Enough na sa ‘kin yung na-express ko na I hope that all parties will be given opportunity to explain their position — hindi yung simple na yes or no lang dapat ang isinasagot.”</p><p>“Of course, we’re willing to answer all the questions, pero it will be really hard if we will not be able to justify whatever answer or position we have,” she said. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/22/pia-cayetano-raises-doubts-on-matibag-s-credibility-over-senate-gunfire-incident-1708">Pia Cayetano cites Senate gunfire incident to raise doubts on Matibag&#x27;s credibility </a></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6MhfSiKLyeg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The prosecution has finished presenting witnesses for the impeachment article that accused Duterte of committing grave threats and inciting to sedition when she said that she had arranged for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to be killed if she were assassinated first. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/22/nbi-probe-into-duterte-hitman-narrowed-down-to-20-names-matibag-1619">NBI probe into Duterte &#x27;hitman&#x27; narrowed down to 20 names—Matibag </a></div><p>The Senate court has issued subpoenas for two former Land Bank managers for next week’s trial resumption, which would tackle another impeachment article that accuses Duterte of confidential fund misuse, Luistro noted. </p><p>She said she “cannot say with finality” how many witnesses would testify for this impeachment article. </p><p>“We have to understand na the exigency of the trial is really causing us to make some changes as to the number of witnesses,” she said. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/sara-duterte-impeachment-trial">Impeachment Trial of Sara Duterte </a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/22/raffy-tulfo-asks-for-fairness-in-imposing-2-minute-speaking-limit-in-impeachment-trial-1605">Raffy Tulfo wants consistency in 2-minute speaking limit for impeachment trial </a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/22/what-is-stonehill-vs-diokno-1417">What is Stonehill vs Diokno? </a></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rf_pQIOY0Ek?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The prosecution asserted Thursday that it was its job to be “biased” towards pushing the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, after a call from Sen. Robin Padilla for the panel to refrain from being “one-sided.”</p>

The prosecution asserted Thursday that it was its job to be “biased” towards pushing the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, after a call from Sen. Robin Padilla for the panel to refrain from being “one-sided.”

Prosecution: Be shocked if we defend VP Sara

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Prosecution: Be shocked if we defend VP Sara

Jamaine Punzalan,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 23, 2026 08:22 AM PHT

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Updated July 23, 2026 09:07 AM PHT

Read More:

Sara Duterte

Duterte

Duterte impeachment

impeachment

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Robin Padilla

Luistro

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