By Ellson Quismorio
House lead prosecutor Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro declared the pre‑trial conference (PTC) for Vice President Sara Duterte’s Senate impeachment trial a success, pointing to the sheer volume of evidence the prosecution managed to put on record.
Luistro emphasized that prosecutors marked more than 4,000 documentary exhibits tied to confidential fund disbursements—over 2,000 from the Office of the Vice President and nearly 1,900 from the Department of Education.
Because the defense refused to adopt common markings for identical exhibits, the total doubled to 8,000, underscoring the scale of documentation now prepared for trial.
“Definitely [it’s a success], sapagkat ever since our objective is to finish expeditiously,” Luistro said on June 25, stressing that the prosecution stayed focused on completing the task despite procedural hurdles.
Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua noted that each exhibit required signatures from the prosecution, defense, and Senate clerk of court, making the process painstakingly slow but ultimately thorough.
He dismissed defense claims of a missing page in one document as an isolated, routine occurrence.
The prosecution also renewed its request for the Senate impeachment court to open a sealed Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) box believed to contain records relevant to allegations of unexplained wealth.
Luistro explained that the House deliberately left the box unopened, deferring to the court’s authority, though the defense opposed even its marking as evidence.
With thousands of exhibits now formally marked, the prosecution views the PTC as a major step forward—transforming five days of meticulous work into a foundation for the impeachment trial set to begin July 6.
