Lawyers of Vice President Leni Robredo asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday to compel the police to show all its evidence to support the inciting to sedition and other charges filed against her.
More than 30 others, several of them identified with the opposition Liberal Party like Robredo, were also charged by the government, in connection with the “The Real Narcolist” video series linking President Duterte and his immediate family to illegal drugs.
First hearing
Robredo’s lawyer Marlon Manuel filed a motion for production and copying of evidence at the DOJ, a day before the first preliminary hearing on the complaint filed by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
Manuel also sought the deferment of Robredo’s submission of her counteraffidavit until all the pieces of evidence are produced by the PNP and copies secured by her camp.
The lawyer said Robredo was “deprived of the right to adequately respond to the wild accusations against her,” given that the CIDG “deliberately withheld” other pieces of evidence aside from the sworn statement of Peter Joemel Advincula, aka “Bikoy,” the confessed narrator of the videos.
Manuel said the CIDG and other officials involved in the filing of charges against Robredo had repeatedly claimed to have “other evidence to support the bare allegations” of Advincula. But such evidence were not included in the complaints against his client which, he said, indicated that these were “to be presented later.”
‘Wild accusations’
“Assuming that such alleged ‘evidence’ exists, respondent moves that the honorable office direct complainants to produce such alleged evidence and allow respondent to make copies or copy the same. This would allow respondent to adequately and intelligently respond to the baseless and wild accusations against her in the present case,” Manuel’s motion stated.
Robredo’s spokesperon, lawyer Barry Gutierrez, also told reporters: “What is the real story that that they are using as basis for this complaint? Where is the evidence they are boasting that they have? We have to see them. They should play fair.”
Also on Thursday, one of the respondents, Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani Jr., filed his counteraffidavit at the DOJ, accompanied by his lawyer Christian Monsod and brother Pastor. They declined to be interviewed, saying the the bishops will soon hold a press conference on the matter.
Among those charged in the same case are opposition Senators Leila de Lima and Risa Hontiveros, former Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Bam Aquino, Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, human rights lawyer Chel Diokno and Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David.