Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor
On a scale of 1 to 10, House prosecutor says a confident ‘10’ on VP Duterte impeachment conviction
A MEMBER of the prosecution panel of the House of Representatives on Friday expressed confidence that they can secure a conviction against Vice President Sara Duterte, responding with a “10” when asked about his confidence level on convicting the vice president.
House Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor, a member of the House prosecution team against VP Duterte, made it very clear that they are confident of securing a conviction.
When asked to rate his confidence level on a scale of 1 to 10, Defensor responded, “For my Article, I’ll give you a 10.”
Defensor emphasized the strength of the evidence supporting his assigned article of impeachment, stating,
“Malakas din naman ‘yung iba. Pero mas natuwa akong, ‘yung napili ko at nagustuhan ko, malamang ‘yun ang mapupunta sa akin,” he said, without disclosing which of the Articles of Impeachment he chose to be assigned to.
He also expressed a preference for VP Duterte to testify during the trial.
“I would prefer if she will testify. Pero kaya kong matapos ‘yung Article ko with or without the Vice President,” he said.
The lawmaker highlighted the possibility of prosecutors handling multiple articles.
“That’s possible. Pwede kami mag-crossover with other articles. Kasi pag tinignan mo, some of the articles are interrelated especially if the charge is betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, pwedeng tumawid ‘yun,” he explained.
Regarding the structure of the prosecution team, Defensor said, “For now, wala kaming lead prosecutor. I have to tell you that. Pero maganda ang samahan ng mga prosecutors.”
He further elaborated on the team’s dynamics, stating, “I think we have a good understanding of our strengths and our capability pagdating sa trial na ito, which ones that we think would be best suited for us when we present the evidence.”
Defensor also acknowledged the support from various legal experts.
“Meron ibang abogado na tumutulong sa amin, not just the public prosecutors from Congress. Actually, dinagsa kami ng mga legal eagles sa buong Pilipinas na gustong tumulong to proceed with this impeachment trial,” he bared.
“Dinagsa kami ng mga batikang abugado na gustong ma-convict at matapos na itong impeachment trial,” Defensor.
When questioned about the necessity of a lead prosecutor, Defensor responded, “We can go even without a lead prosecutor and just divide the articles amongst ourselves.”
He reiterated the team’s collaborative approach, saying, “Just like the impeachment trial, pwede tayong magtawiran at magtulungan.”
