Sara Duterte's defense to Cabotaje-Tang: Are you anti-Duterte? A kakampink?

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The defense panel of Vice President Sara Duterte raised before the impeachment court the non-appointment of former Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang to the Supreme Court for which she applied during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Defense counsel Atty. Mark Vinluan during his cross-examination also asked the former magistrate of the anti-graft court if she was anti-Duterte or was allied with the camp of former Vice President Leni Robredo.

The prosecution had presented Cabotaje-Tang as an expert witness on public accountability. She testified that a public official’s acquisition of unexplained wealth can be a ground for removal from office.

“Are you anti-Duterte now?” Vinluan asked.

“No, I’m not,” Cabotaje-Tang replied.

“Do you like VP Sara?” Vinluan asked.

“I do not know her personally,” the former justice said.

Vinluan asked Cabotaje-Tang if she was a “kakampink,” or a member of the group which supported former Vice President Leni Robredo in the 2022 presidential elections.

Cabotaje-Tang said she was unfamiliar with the term.

After getting an explanation, she said, “No. I’ve never been political in my life. I’ve always been apolitical.”

Vinluan then asked if Cabotaje-Tang was friends with prosecutor Akbayan party-list Rep. Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno.

The subpoena for her attendance had been coursed through Diokno’s office.

“No. We were adversaries, actually, in the amparo cases before the Court of Appeals,” came the reply.