Escudero set to regulate comments in Sara Duterte impeachment trial
MANILA, Philippines — Senate impeachment presiding officer Sen. Francis Escudero said he is set to issue a ruling regulating public statements made by counsels in the ongoing impeachment trial, citing repeated violations of the court's rules on decorum.
The issue came to a head during a recent court session when Sheila Sison, the chief lawyer of the defense panel, raised concerns over a social media post by lawyer Amando Virgil Ligutan, a private prosecutor.
"Quite frankly... I asked the clerk of court to monitor the public statements of the counsels of the parties this past week. And one side has been crossing the line many, many times," Escudero said.
Sison decried Ligutan's social media post from 11:29 a.m., which she claimed took passive-aggressive jabs at laywer Kristine Ferrer, who had earlier cross-examined Commission on Audit witness Xylene del Campo.
During the cross-examination, Ferrer and private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan clashed over whether a witness could be forced to answer with a simple "yes" or "no."
When Kapunan argued that misleading questions are not allowed on cross-examination, Ferrer responded, "They are allowed.”
Ferrer was cross-examining Del Campo about a joint circular governing confidential and intelligence funds.
She then asked whether the circular limited the use of confidential funds to apprehending people.
Following the incident, Ligutan’s Facebook post read as follows:
A principle ALL lawyers and law students know by heart:
Misleading questions are NOT allowed even on cross-examination.
However, Ligutan did not mention any names in his post.
Sison clarified in court that Ferrer was referring to leading questions being permissible on cross-examination, not misleading ones.
In an ambush interview with reporters, Ligutan said his post was without malice.
“Hindi po allowed ang misleading questions. Hindi ko ‘yan (post) buburahin dahil ‘yan po ay nakasaad sa ating Rules of Court,” Ligutan said.
(Misleading questions are not allowed. I will not delete that [post] because that is stated in our Rules of Court.)
Section 10 of Rule 132 of the Rules of Evidence does not allow misleading questions to witnesses.
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