VP Trial Day 19: Ligutan to explain public remarks

MANILA, Philippines — Counsel for the House prosecution Amando Ligutan is expected to explain his public statements reportedly related to Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial on Wednesday.

This follows defense lead counsel Sheila Sison’s manifestation on Aug. 12 calling out Ligutan’s social media post that seemingly referred to a statement made by defense counsel Katherine Ferrer during her cross-examination of state auditor Xylene del Campo that same day.

Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero previously admonished counsel for making public statements that tackle the merits of the trial, as doing so is prohibited under the impeachment rules.

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READ: Prosec: Ligutan’s FB post due to law prof persona – had to correct it

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After Ligutan’s oral statement, Escudero is expected to make a ruling on the matter.

Following this, the court will continue hearing the allegations against Duterte over the alleged misuse of confidential funds.

The House prosecution’s second hostile witness, Office of the Vice President assistant chief of staff Lemuel Ortonio, will undergo cross-examination by Ferrer.

Ortonio’s direct examination ended after only four hours, during which he testified about his role in processing the OVP’s confidential funds from the fourth quarter of 2022 to the third quarter of 2023.

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READ: Ortonio confirms paying P150,000 excess CF expenses out of pocket

According to Ortonio, Duterte ordered him to draft the OVP’s request for confidential funds (CFs) from the Department of Budget and Management, sign disbursement vouchers to access the CFs, encash the P125 million in funds per quarter and prepare a reply to the Commission on Audit’s audit observation memorandum. /das