Highlights: Day 30 of Sara Duterte impeachment trial | Sept. 28, 2026

MANILA, Philippines – On Day 30 of the Sara Duterte impeachment trial, Presiding Officer and Senator-judge Francis Escudero drew attention Monday when he asked colleagues to nudge Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., who had fallen asleep while a witness was being examined, offering the lawmaker a chance to rest “but at least not behind the witness.” 

The moment came as PhilGEPS Division Chief Rendell Sopeña was still on the stand, testifying about new system features to automatically flag possible collusion in government contract awards, a line of questioning Senator-judge Joel Villanueva had been pursuing. 

READ: Highlights: Day 29 of Sara Duterte impeachment trial | Sept. 23, 2026

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The impeachment court separately ruled that House public prosecutor and Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon’s explanation for his earlier sub judice comments was acceptable, issuing only a stern warning rather than a formal reprimand.

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Private prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa Jr. warned, however, that the Vice President’s own weekend remarks comparing the impeachment court to a zarzuela stage play posed a broader danger if left unchallenged, noting it was not the first time Duterte had made such comments.

On evidence, the prosecution and defense clashed anew over the admission of Duterte’s bank records. House prosecutor Chel Diokno said the records, produced directly by banks under Senate subpoena, were covered by a request for admission filed the previous week to identify what evidence is genuinely disputed and conserve the court’s time, but the defense had objected.

Meanwhile, the defense waived its right to cross-examine PNP Firearms and Explosives Office head P/Maj. Joericson Sangalang after Escudero established that the firearms values presented were market prices, not acquisition costs.

Sangalang had testified that Duterte has 22 firearms registered in her name, while her husband Manases Carpio has 29, for a combined total of more than 50.

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The court also granted Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte’s request to defer his appearance from Monday, allowing him to attend instead on September 29 and 30 so he could gather, organize, authenticate, and reproduce the subpoenaed documents. 

Separately, the impeachment court expressed hope that the Supreme Court would rule swiftly on petitions challenging the court’s earlier decision to lower the two-thirds conviction threshold, with court spokesperson Reginald Tongol saying the expectation is a ruling before senator-judges vote on the final question of conviction or acquittal. /dp

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Sources

1. ‘Failure to reprimand Duterte over sub judice violations poses risk’
2. VP Duterte trial: Gov’t to better flag fishy procurement
3. No reprimand from impeachment court for Ridon, only stern warning
4. VP Sara, husband have 51 firearms, witness says
5. Defense skips cross examination of PNP official over VP’s firearms
6. Impeachment Trial: Prosecution, defense clash anew over VP Sara’s bank records
7. Prosecution, defense teams clash anew on Sara Duterte’s bank records
8. Impeachment court grants Baste Duterte request to appear on Sept. 29, 30
9. Escudero offers Abante to ‘rest somewhere else’ after dozing at trial
10. Impeachment court hopes for swift SC ruling on 2/3 threshold computation

Editor’s note: This update was generated with the aid of artificial intelligence based on Inquirer.net, Philippine Daily Inquirer and Cebu Daily News articles and reviewed by a human editor.