Ridon to Sison: Don’t gaslight, lawyer said misleading questions allowed

MANILA, Philippines — Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon has called out Vice President Sara Duterte’s lead counsel, urging them to stop gaslighting the public after Wednesday’s impeachment trial transcripts confirmed that defense lawyer Atty. Kristine Ferrer stated misleading questions were allowed.

Speaking to reporters after the Wednesday hearing, Ridon noted that the prosecution team wasn’t the only one to witness Ferrer—part of the defense camp—dispute prosecutor Lorna Kapunan’s stance that misleading questions are barred during cross-examination.

Ridon said this after lead counsel for respondent Sheila Sison made a manifestation at the end of the trial, calling out private prosecutor Amando Virgil Ligutan for making social media posts that supposedly addresses Ferrer’s blunder.

“The transcript is very clear, we who were inside the plenary during trial were not the only ones who watched it, everyone else here and the public itself was able to see it. And the transcript is very clear,” Ridon told reporters.

“The reply of Ms. Ferrer to Atty. Kapunan was, it was allowed — relating to basically responding to misleading questions. So everyone was basically understanding that the answer of Atty. Ferrer was about the misleading questions. So for me, do not gaslight the nation, that it is Atty. Ligutan’s fault why this matter popped on the defense’s face,” he added.

‘Misleading questions are not allowed’

Before the trial ended, Sison called out Ligutan over his Facebook post which stated that one principle that “all lawyers and law students know by heart” is that “misleading questions are NOT allowed even on cross-examination.”

Sison claimed that Ligutan was referring to Ferrer, and that Ferrer’s “it is allowed” quip was not a reply to Kapunan’s statements that “misleading questions are not allowed” even on cross-examination.

According to Sison, Ligutan’s social media post was done in “bad faith,” saying that while the prosecution’s counsel did not name names, the post was made just around 30 minutes after the viral exchange between Ferrer and Kapunan.

“I find it troubling that a private prosecutor would do this in the middle of a courtroom hearing. Because as far as I’m concerned, [the] impeachment court is also a court of decorum and the rules in impeachment, under Rule 18, actually prohibits participants, especially lawyers, from commenting about the merits of the case,” Sison said.

“But I really just find it in bad taste to do this at this time and I think it’s really inappropriate to do that to a fellow member of the bar,” she added. “Because even if we sit at the opposite side of this hall, we remain to be both members of the bar and as officers of the court, we owe each other respect, politeness and even kindness.”

Lead public prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro asked Presiding Officer and Senator-judge Francis Escudero to allow Ligutan to air his side, but was eventually denied.

But Ridon said if Ferrer did not really mean to reply to Kapunan’s remark, she should have clarified right there and then.

“The defense cannot blame anyone but themselves, my friends. Because if the defense was very sharp to the draw regarding the conversation and the tit for tat during the trial itself, Ms. Ferrer would know that she should have given a different answer during that time,” he said.

“They should have been quick on the draw, they should have clarified that she was answering not the question on misleading statements or misleading questions, but on something else,” he added.

Wednesday’s trial featured tense moments between the prosecution and the defense — particularly Kapunan and Ferrer.

During the early part of the hearing, Escudero said that the seeming “generational divide” triggered tensions — forcing him to intervene twice.

Escudero first observed the “generational divide” when Kapunan asked the Senate impeachment court to instruct Ferrer not to interrupt the witness mid-sentence.

In response, Ferrer asked the court to direct the witness to just answer her question with yes or no.

Kapunan countered, saying that “not all questions can be answered by yes or no.”

“I’m on cross, Your Honor, please,” Ferrer said, before the two went head to head, leading to the misleading question issue. /das

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