Prosecution not afraid of Tiangco’s testimony

MANILA, Philippines- The prosecution said Monday that they were not afraid of Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco’s testimony in the first day of the defense panel’s presentation of evidence and that they were not stopping him from appearing.

Prosecution spokesman and Aurora Representative Juan Edgardo Angara told reporters that “[Tiangco] has the right to voluntarily testify, nobody is stopping him.”

Another prosecution spokesman, Quezon representative Lorenzo Tanada, told reporters in a separate interview that they were not afraid of what Tiangco might say because “there’s nothing new that is being raised.”

Tanada believes that the defense panel wants Tiangco to testify “that the articles of impeachment were railroaded, that some people did not read the articles of impeachment.”

Angara said he was not afraid of Tiangco’s testimony because “he will only testify to his personal experience which is different from the experience of the 188 congressmen who signed [the complaint].”

House Majority Floor Leader Neptali Gonzales had earlier told reporters that the issue Tiangco wants to testify on was already “moot and academic” because the Senate has already started the impeachment proceedings.

Gonzales denied Tiangco’s claims that he was being threatened with expulsion from the House of Representatives.

Tiangco was merely being reminded that “he should be careful not to demean the other members of the House,” because that would warrant sanctions, Tanada said.

The sanctions could be censure, suspension, or expulsion, Gonzales said.

“If he doesn’t disparage the reputation of members of the House then I don’t think he will face any sanction. But if he disparages the reputation of members of the House that is clear under our rules,” Tanada said.

Angara said “we respect his decision to not sign the impeachment complaint and to testify in the impeachment proceedings. But he should also respect the decision of the majority of the congressmen who signed the complaint.”

“I think this is a delaying tactic by the defense, after [Tiangco] today, I don’t think they have any other witness,” Tanada said.