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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'I feel deprived,' says Luistro after 'yes or no' questions from Padilla, Cayetano

'I feel deprived,' says Luistro after 'yes or no' questions from Padilla, Cayetano

Published Jul 23, 2026 08:18 am

At A Glance

  • Rep. Gerville Luistro said she felt deprived of the chance to explain during questioning by Senators Robin Padilla and Pia Cayetano in the July 23 impeachment trial.
  • Cayetano pressed her on the purpose of Arturo Lascañas' affidavit, while Padilla questioned its notarization; prosecution clarified it was only to show the NBI probe's course.
  • Luistro later manifested before the court to record that she was restricted to yes-or-no answers despite presiding officer Sen. Francis Escudero's reminders of the affidavit's limited use.
Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro (Facebook)
Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro (Facebook)


House lead prosecutor Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro can't help but feel "deprived" from the questioning she received in open court Wednesday, July 23 from Senators Robin Padilla and Pia Cayetano.
In a press conference after Wednesday’s Senate impeachment trial against respondent Vice President Sara Duterte, Luistro said she saw the clarificatory questions from the senator-judges as part of normal court proceedings.
"Of course, ‘yung mga ganung (those kinds of) interjections, that’s part of the trial. They are senator-judges and they have the prerogative to raise clarificatory questions anytime they want,” Luistro said.
Reflecting on the exchanges she had with Padilla and Cayetano--who are both perceived to be Duterte supporters--Luistro said: “I feel deprived, deprived of the opportunity to explain."
“It’s hard to be confronted with a question of 'yes or no' only because it’s important that you give context to your yes or to your no,” said the lawyer-legislator.
Padilla and Cayetano grilled Luistro on the topic of the prosecution’s witnesses in the impeachment trial.
During the proceedings, Cayetano questioned Luistro about the purpose for which the prosecution offered into evidence the affidavit of self-confessed hitman Arturo Lascañas, and pressed her to answer whether it was being presented for the truth of its contents or merely as part of the National Bureau of Investigation's (NBI) probe on respondent Duterte's death threats to President Marcos and other members of the First Family.
Meawhile, Padilla raised questions about the affidavit, including whether or not it had been notarized.
The affidavit was cited by NBI Director Melvin Matibag--who was on the witness stand at that time--while he discussed what the prosecution described as a pattern of violent behavior by Duterte.
According to the prosecution, the document was presented only to show the course of the NBI investigation and not to establish the truth of the allegations contained in it.
Luistro later made a manifestation before the impeachment court after she felt she was unable to fully explain one of her answers during Cayetano’s questioning.
“Hindi ko lang siya masyadong na-gets agad kahapon because apparently she tried to limit my answer to yes or no only, and I was not given opportunity to explain. And that is why I really tried na ma-manifest kanina to put it on record,” she said.
(I didn’t quite grasp it right away yesterday because apparently she tried to restrict my answer to just yes or no, and I wasn’t given the chance to explain. That’s why I really made an effort earlier to manifest it and put it on record.)
She noted that presiding officer Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero repeatedly reminded the parties during Matibag’s testimony that the Lascañas affidavit had been offered only to show what transpired during the NBI investigation and not for any other purpose.
Luistro chairs the Committee on Justice in the House of Representatives.

Related Tags

Robin Padilla Pia Cayetano Gerville \"Jinky Bitrics\" Luistro Arturo Lascañas Melvin Matibag Impeachment Sara Duterte NBI
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