Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis "Chiz" Escudero issued the directive after ordering both parties to meet before the Senate Clerk of Court outside the trial proceedings to compare their separately marked copies of the ARs. Kapunan told the impeachment court that the witness would have to testify on more than 4,000 documents after the defense panel declined to enter into a joint stipulation on them. However, defense lawyer Kristine Ferrer objected to having the examination of the documents conducted outside the court proceedings. Ferrer also said the defense has its own copies of the marked ARs. Escudero clarified that the court was merely giving both sides another opportunity to determine whether the ARs in their possession were identical.