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'Natapos pa rin': Luistro says pre-trial conference a 'success' for the prosecution
Philippines
National
'Natapos pa rin': Luistro says pre-trial conference a 'success' for the prosecution
'Natapos pa rin': Luistro says pre-trial conference a 'success' for the prosecution
Published Jun 25, 2026 09:28 pm
At A Glance
- Lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro calls the five-day pre-trial conference a success, emphasizing the prosecution's focus on expeditious completion despite defense objections.
- Prosecutors marked over 4,000 exhibits related to confidential fund disbursements, but because the defense refused common markings, both sides had to mark separately, doubling the total to 8,000 documents.
- The prosecution renews its request to open the sealed BIR box tied to unexplained wealth, while awaiting the Senate impeachment court's pre-trial order ahead of the July 6 trial start.
Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro (Senate Facebook)
House lead prosecutor Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro has described as a "success" the pre-trial conference (PTC) for Vice President Sara Duterte’s Senate impeachment trial, despite it lasting five days.
“Definitely [it's a success], sapagkat (because) ever since our objective is to finish expeditiously,” Luistro said in a press conference on Thursday night, June 25.
She said the prosecution remained focused on completing the proceedings expeditiously despite procedural issues raised by the defense.
“It was a clear position not to engage with those issues because our objective ever since is to finish this pre-trial conference expeditiously,” said the lawyer-legislator.
Held at the Senate in Pasay City, the PTCs--which served as precursor to the high-stakes impeachment trial--were held behind closed doors. It began last June 18.
The prosecution, however, placed on record its observation that the defense prolonged the marking of documentary evidence by refusing to use common markings for identical exhibits intended for presentation by both parties.
According to Luistro, prosecutors marked more than 4,000 documentary exhibits related to confidential fund disbursements—over 2,000 from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and more than 1,900 from the Department of Education (DepEd)
Because the defense insisted on separately marking the same documents, the total number of markings doubled.
“So mamarkahan ng prosecution individually. And then because they refuse to agree that we mark in the same document, then they have to mark as well those 4,000 exhibits, which likewise form part of their documents. Walong libo in total,” Luistro said.
(The prosecution will mark individually. And then because they refuse to agree that we mark in the same document, they also have to mark those 4,000 exhibits, which likewise form part of their documents. Eight thousand in total.)
(Senate Facebook)
Solon-prosecutor Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua said the process became even more time-consuming because every marked document also had to be signed by the prosecution, the defense, and Senate clerk of court.
Responding to the defense’s claim that one prosecution document lacked a page during the marking process, Chua said the incident was isolated and a normal occurrence.
BIR box
The prosecution also renewed its request for the Senate impeachment court to allow the opening of the sealed Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) box, saying it contains records relevant to the impeachment article on alleged unexplained wealth.
Luistro says the House deliberately refrained from opening the box after receiving it from the BIR, believing that the matter should be left to the impeachment court.
She noted, however, that the defense opposed not only the opening of the box but even its marking as an exhibit.
“But sadly, they opposed the opening of the BIR box. They opposed as well the marking of the sealed BIR box. Ako’y nagtataka kung ano kayang nakakatakot doon sa pagmamarkahan ng sealed box," Luistro said.
(I wonder what's so scary about marking the contents of the sealed box.)
This notwithstanding, Luistro said the prosecution remains optimistic that the Senate impeachment court will ultimately resolve the issue in its favor.
“So we will be looking forward na sana itong BIR box na ito ay mabuksan na, sapagkat karapatan ho ng sambayanang Pilipino na malaman at makita ang nilalaman nito,” she said.
(So we will be looking forward that this BIR box will finally be opened, because it is the right of the Filipino people to know and see its contents.)
The sealed evidence box was obtained through a subpoena issued by the House Committee on Justice during its impeachment proceedings directing the BIR to produce the income tax returns (ITRs) of Duterte and her husband, Atty. Manases “Mans” Carpio.
Instead of individual records, however, the BIR submitted a sealed box.
“So we do not even know really the pieces of documents inside. Although we understand na hiningi namin doon sa subpoena (Although we understand that what we sought through the subpoena) is ITR of the respondent and the spouse.”
The prosecution is now awaiting the Senate impeachment court’s pre-trial order and the formal start of the impeachment trial on July 6.