Filipinos have the right to hear Vice President Sara Z. Duterte personally answer the allegations in her impeachment trial, saying that the prosecution’s proposal to present her as a witness serves transparency and accountability.

Lead prosecutor Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro made the assertion Tuesday after the defense raised objections to calling Duterte as a prosecution witness, following an earlier manifestation by prosecution counsel Lorna Kapunan.

“The position of the prosecution about calling the respondent Vice President as witness for the four articles of impeachment at the end of the presentation of all these articles is in line with the mandate of transparency and accountability, Your Honor, which is enshrined in our constitution,” Kapunan said.

Hearing Duterte’s own responses matters both to the impeachment court examining the allegations and to Filipinos following the proceedings.

“It is important that the impeachment court, including the viewing public, witness how the respondent vice president answered to all these allegations because this is the spirit behind the provision of the constitution on transparency and accountability, Your Honor,” Luistro said.

Responding to the defense’s invocation of Duterte’s constitutional rights, Luistro said the Filipino people represented by the prosecution also have rights that deserve recognition in the proceedings.

“We wish to invoke as well that even the Filipino people whom we represent are entitled to these constitutional rights,” she said.

Luistro said the question of Duterte’s participation should be discussed with the Vice President herself.

“I would like to put on record that the manifestations made were premature because as a matter of fact, we haven’t formalized yet the motion for the issuance of subpoena to the respondent Vice President, Your Honor,” she said.

Defense counsel Sheila Sison argued that Duterte could not be compelled to testify for the prosecution, invoking the protection against self-incrimination.

She maintained that Duterte was participating in the trial through her lawyers and reserved the defense’s formal response until a subpoena request was filed.

“If respondent is not interested in this trial, she would not have even sent her lawyers to defend her in this case,” Sison said.

Court Presiding Officer Francis Escudero said it would await a formal prosecution motion and the defense’s comment before ruling.

Escudero also noted that Duterte could choose to appear voluntarily, referring to former Chief Justice Renato Corona’s appearance during his impeachment trial. (PNA)