Former Sen. Bong Revilla. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
The Sandiganbayan First Division on Thursday gave a sermon to the state prosecutors for their failure to present all the witnesses and make good use of the court’s time in the plunder trial of former Senator Ramon Revilla Jr.
During the scheduled plunder trial, the Office of the Special Prosecutor failed to use the afternoon session of the trial because the other witnesses said they were unavailable to testify today.
READ: Bong Revilla: I am a victim of PDAF scam
Lead prosecutor Joefferson Toribio said the other witnesses reached out to them saying that they would only be available in the following hearing because they would still be coming all the way from Mindanao.
This irked Associate Justice Geraldine Econg, who scolded the prosecution for making the same excuse again.
“Last time was the last time. Last week was the last time for today. And next week, last time again!” Econg said.
READ: ‘Local execs corroborate whistleblowers’ claims on Revilla projects’
Division chairperson Associate Justice Efren Dela Cruz reminded the prosecution to be mindful of its responsibility to make use of the whole day schedule of plunder trial, especially because the accused Revilla had been detained for over three years already.
“We’ve been calling out the failure of the prosecution to present the witnesses in the afternoon. Prosecutor Toribio promised again that they will not waste the time of the court,” Dela Cruz said.
“We want the prosecution to be more responsible in trying to make use of the time allotted by the court, so that it will not waste the time of the court and to expedite the proceedings,” he added.
READ: Ex-SolGen Mendoza calls mayors’ testimonies vs Revilla ‘void, hearsay’
Toribio said the prosecution is doing its best to cooperate with the court’s orders.
“We are cooperating to the best of our abilities. It just so happened that the witnesses will be coming from Mindanao. There are certain limitations on the witnesses,” Toribio said.
During the plunder trial, the following local government officials testified and denied receiving agricultural and livelihood kits from Revilla’s PDAF projects: Edwin Reyes, former Bansalan municipal mayor in Davao Del Sur; Eduardo Dela Cruz Jr., former Pinadangan East barangay captain in Alcala, Pangasinan; Johnny Carajay, former Kisikis barangay captain in Alcala, Pangasinan; Rolando Garcia, former Kalamansig municipal mayor in Sultan Kudarat; Lydia Apatan, municipal agricultural technologist in Nasipit, Agusan Del Norte; and Rebecca Quicho, municipal agriculturist in Nasipit, Agusan Del Norte.
Revilla’s lawyer former solicitor general Estelito Mendoza scored the prosecution’s witnesses providing irrelevant and immaterial testimonies, even urging the court to terminate the prosecution’s presentation of evidence already.
READ: Revilla seeks termination of evidence from alleged ghost beneficiaries
Toribio rebuffed and said the prosecution is entitled to 60 settings to present their witnesses and evidence, and that the prosecution would soon present new witnesses such as bank representatives handling the bank accounts involved in the scam.
“At the rate we’re going, we’re halfway done. We’ll present the bulk of beneficiaries in the next hearing, and we’ll also be presenting new witnesses,” Toribio said.
Revilla surrendered and was detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in 2014 for plunder for allegedly pocketing P224.5 million in kickbacks from his PDAF in the scheme of using the pork barrel fund in ghost projects by mastermind Napoles. JE
READ: Ex-SolGen Mendoza calls mayors’ testimonies vs Revilla ‘void, hearsay’