House prosecution spokesperson Atty. Antonio Bucoy has challenged Vice President Sara Duterte to prove her innocence in court, urging her to present evidence if she truly believes she has the support to be acquitted.
Speaking at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, Bucoy questioned why Duterte wouldn’t welcome the opportunity to clear her name if she was confident in her backing. “If she really has the numbers, then let’s see the evidence. Even if she’s acquitted, what matters is that the public sees the evidence we have,” he stated.
This comes after Duterte filed an answer ad cautelam—a legal move requesting the dismissal of the impeachment complaint on the grounds that it is invalid from the beginning. Despite her camp’s claim of confidence in winning the trial, Bucoy insists the proceedings should push through to allow public scrutiny.
Senate President Francis Escudero recently noted that the impeachment case could be dismissed with a simple majority of at least 13 votes. When asked if the House panel might seek the inhibition of senators showing bias, Bucoy said it’s a possibility, though not a priority due to potential complications with vote counts.
The Senate began hearing the impeachment case on June 10 but first returned the articles of impeachment to the House for verification. A writ of summons was later issued, prompting Duterte’s team to respond and seek dismissal.