By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — House prosecution counsel Lorna Kapunan has urged the Senate to preserve a “safe space” for women and senior citizens after Sen. Raffy Tulfo criticized the prosecution panel over the way one of its lawyers questioned a witness in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
Kapunan said Tulfo’s description of the prosecutor’s conduct as “pa-cute” could have been a misstatement, but stressed that the Senate should be mindful of the protections embodied in the Safe Spaces Act.
“Let me just say that I think the Senate should be reminded that it was the Senate that passed the Safe Space Law,” Kapunan said during a press briefing Thursday.
She referred to Republic Act No. 11313, or the Safe Spaces Act, also known as the Bawal Bastos Law, which was signed into law in April 2019 by then-President Rodrigo Duterte.
The law addresses gender-based sexual harassment in streets and public spaces, online platforms, workplaces and educational institutions, among other settings.
“So we are believing that could be a misstatement but still believing that the Senate is a safe space for women like us, and for senior citizens like me,” Kapunan said.
Tulfo’s remarks came during Thursday’s impeachment proceedings, where he questioned the prosecution’s choice of witnesses and the manner in which some lawyers handled their questioning.
The senator said some witnesses were not necessarily needed and that their appearance was consuming valuable time in the proceedings.
“Sometimes the prosecution is calling witnesses that are not necessarily needed; we are just wasting our time,” Tulfo said.
He noted that some senators had appeared sleepy during the proceedings, while others repeatedly left the chamber for the comfort room.
Tulfo said the prosecution should ensure that every witness called could provide information relevant to the impeachment investigation.
He also recalled a previous hearing involving a police officer, saying a prosecutor appeared to be “trying to be cute” during the questioning.
Tulfo did not identify the lawyer involved but advised the prosecution panel to be more deliberate in assigning lawyers to present its witnesses.
He said the proceedings should not turn into a combination of courtroom drama and an afternoon variety show.
Tulfo’s comments followed an earlier hearing involving San Juan Rep. Ysabel Maria “Bel” Zamora, a member of the House prosecution panel.
Zamora questioned Police Major Joericson Sangalang of the Philippine National Police Firearms and Explosives Office on firearms allegedly owned by Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.
The questioning formed part of the prosecution’s presentation of evidence on Article II of the impeachment complaint, which involves allegations that Duterte had unexplained wealth that was not declared in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.
Zamora subsequently faced criticism online from some Duterte supporters, who accused her of “acting cute” while questioning Sangalang.
She answered her critics by telling them to “get a life” if they could not handle her “sass and style.”
The prosecution has so far presented Sangalang as its police witness in connection with Article II, as the impeachment court continues to hear evidence in the case.
Kapunan’s appeal for the Senate to remain a “safe space” has added another dimension to the dispute over the conduct and presentation of lawyers during the proceedings, even as senators continue to scrutinize the prosecution’s evidence and witnesses.
ia/xf
