House archives official excused from testifying in Senate impeachment trial

The Senate impeachment court excused from the witness stand an official of the House of Representatives archives service after the defense agreed to the authenticity of documents she herself was about to authenticate in Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial on Monday.

Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis "Chiz" Escudero excused Marivic Pareja from the witness stand 20 minutes after she took her oath.

Pareja is a 27-year House employee and is the director of the House Legislative Archives and Museum Management Service for eight years.

House prosecutor and Cagayan de Oro 1st District Rep. Lordan Suan presented House records kept by the House archives service in connection with the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability’s hearings from September to December 2024.

The documents included letters from Duterte and several Office of the Vice President (OVP) officials to the House committee, position papers submitted by OVP employees, correspondence involving former OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta and other officials, and documents involving the Commission on Audit.

Defense lawyer Lindon Miguel Bacquel affirmed, “Your Honor, we confirm our stipulation as to the documents mentioned by the prosecution, that these documents are transmitted to the Archives and the Archives are the custodian of these documents.”

The service is the House’s official repository for legislative records. It is tasked with preserving, retrieving and releasing certified copies of House records and issuing the corresponding certifications.