The week in photos: September 26 to October 2, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — On September 29, House prosecutor Terry Ridon sought to present former senator Antonio Trillanes IV as one of the prosecution’s next witnesses, along with officers of the Anti-Money Laundering Council, in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

The prosecution’s move to present Trillanes drew reactions from some senator-judges, prompting presiding officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero to call for a recess. After a five-minute break, Escudero ruled that the impeachment court would not issue a subpoena to Trillanes but stressed that it “cannot prevent the prosecution from calling him as a witness voluntarily.”

On October 1, the prosecution withdrew its bid to present the former senator as its witness in the impeachment trial. In a statement, Trillanes said he requested the prosecution to remove him from the witness list.

On October 2, Trillanes held a press conference linking Sara Duterte to China, flagged a supposedly fictitious name in one of her companies, questioned her allegedly undeclared time deposits in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, and took a swipe at presiding officer Chiz Escudero.

Meanwhile, on September 26, Mary Jane Veloso returned home to her province of Nueva Ecija after 16 years in prison. Mary Jane did not go home immediately after leaving the Correctional Institution for Women. She and her family spent the night in Manila, as she wanted to attend Mass first and hold a press conference, as her way of giving back to supporters and all other Filipinos who followed her case.

Catch more stories in these photos from the week that was:

Former overseas Filipino worker and human trafficking victim Mary Jane Veloso leads a prayer before sharing a meal prepared by family and friends, during her homecoming following her freedom, in General Mamerto Natividad, Nueva Ecija, on September 26, 2026. PHOTO BY ANGIE DE SILVA/REUTERS

An overturned tour bus lies on the motorway A96 after a crash, killing two Filipino nationals and injuring several others, near Landsberg am Lech, Germany, on September 27, 2026. PHOTO BY CHRISTINE UYANIK/REUTERS

Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift pose for a photograph as she attends the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, California, on September 27, 2026. PHOTO BY CAROLINE BREHMAN/REUTERS

An artisan paints an idol of the Hindu goddess Durga inside a workshop ahead of the Durga Puja festival in Kolkata, India, on September 28, 2026. PHOTO BY SAHIBA CHAWDHARY/REUTERS

An artillerist of the 100th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fires a 2S22 Bohdana self-propelled howitzer towards Russian troops, on a front line in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on September 29, 2026. PHOTO BY ANATOLLI STEPANOV/REUTERS

US President Donald Trump listens to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg speak during a press conference at the White House driveway following a luncheon for tech leaders in the East Room, in Washington DC, on September 29, 2026. PHOTO BY KEVIN LAMARQUE/REUTERS

Benjamin Daniel, a Nigerian dancer known as Ben Dancer, performs on stage on the seventh day of an attempt to complete a 168-hour (seven days) dance marathon at Freedom Park in Lagos, Nigeria, on September 29, 2026. PHOTO BY SODIQ ADELAKUN/REUTERS

Models present creations by designer Anthony Vaccarello as part of his Spring/Summer 2027 Women’s ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Saint Laurent during Paris Fashion Week in France on September 29, 2026. PHOTO BY SARAH MEYSSONNIER/REUTERS

Philippines’ Ernest John Obiena celebrates after winning the gold in the Men’s Pole Vault Final of the Asian Games at Paloma Mizuho Sports Park in Nagoya, Japan, on September 29, 2026. PHOTO BY ANDREW BOYERS/REUTERS

A man pulls a plastic basin carrying people as he navigates the flooded compound of the Sports Authority of Thailand, following heavy rain in Bangkok on September 29, 2026. PHOTO BY PATIPAT JANTHONG/REUTERS

Jeffrey Crisostomo Baquilta along with his sons, visits the graves of his wife, Jane Lita, and daughters, Jane Freca and Jenny Mae, who lost their lives after last year’s magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Barangay Pulambato, at the New Corazon Cemetery in Bogo City, Cebu, on September 30, 2026. PHOTO BY JACQUELINE HERNANDEZ/RAPPLER

Members of the Iraqi security forces drive in a convoy through the city as they celebrate the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq, ending a military presence that began after the 2003 US-led invasion, in Najaf, Iraq, on September 30, 2026. PHOTO BY ALAA AL-MARJANI/REUTERS

Passengers who were on the FlyDubai aircraft bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an emergency signal, are greeted by their friends and family, as they arrive at the Ben Gurion International Airport, in Lod, Tel Aviv, Israel, on September 30, 2026. PHOTO BY AMMAR AWAD/REUTERS

Witness Catherine Sweeney with WPLN recounts the planned execution of Christa Pike at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 30, 2026. Pike had not been declared dead when the witnesses were asked to leave the room they were witnessing in. PHOTO BY DENNY SIMMONS/THE TENNESSEAN VIA REUTERS

Senator-judges huddle with Presiding Officer Chiz Escudero during a break on Day 32 of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on October 1, 2026. SENATE SOCIAL MEDIA UNIT

A pedestrian passes posters referring to former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and the COVID-19 pandemic, in the days before the presidential election, with his son, Flavio Bolsonaro, as the Liberal Party candidate, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on October 1, 2026. PHOTO BY BRIAN SNYDER/REUTERS

A child prays outside the Sihang Warehouse Battle Memorial, where Chinese soldiers defended against Japanese forces during the Second Sino-Japanese War, on China’s National Day in Shanghai, China, on October 1, 2026. PHOTO BY GO NAKAMURA/REUTERS

A pigeon flies over a camp at Madrid’s downtown square, Puerta del Sol, set up to demand political action to stop evictions and alleviate the housing crisis, after the forceful eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her apartment in Madrid, Spain, on October 1, 2026. PHOTO BY SUSANA VERA/REUTERS

A masked protester walks past French gendarmes in position during a protest near the Lycee Berthelot high school in Aubervilliers near Paris on October 2, 2026, as part of nationwide protests to demand the hiring of substitute teachers, increased resources and better learning conditions, as more than 400 schools remain closed following days of student protests that have escalated into violence in some places in France. PHOTO BY SARAH MEYSSONNIER/REUTERS

Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV holds a press conference at Club Filipino in San Juan City on October 2, 2026, where he presented his findings on the alleged ill-gotten wealth of Vice President Sara Duterte. PHOTO BY JIRE CARREON/RAPPLER