ICYMI: Sara Duterte impeachment trial Week 10 highlights

MANILA, Philippines – The House prosecution team upended the trial’s trajectory on Day 23 by scrapping 15 Article I witnesses and signaling it will call Vice President Sara Duterte herself to testify.

The Senate impeachment court also moved to address a key question on the number of votes needed to convict Duterte. The developments came as the prosecution wrapped up its presentation on the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds and prepared to shift to Article II, which focuses on Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth.

READ: ICYMI: Sara Duterte impeachment trial Week 9 highlights

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Key developments:

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Day 22 (Sept. 7, 2026)

• The 22nd day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial focused on the identities of alleged recipients of confidential funds released by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).

• Philippine Statistics Authority Assistant National Statistician Marizza Grande testified for the prosecution and said several names listed as confidential fund payees could not be found in the agency’s civil registry records. Her testimony covered unusual or unique names appearing on acknowledgment receipts used by the OVP and DepEd to liquidate P612.5 million in confidential funds.
• Defense lawyer Justin Gular, responding to a question from Senator-judge Risa Hontiveros, acknowledged for the first time during the proceedings that the names appearing on the acknowledgment receipts were aliases.
• Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo said the use of aliases could be forgivable but questioned the similar signatures and handwriting appearing on the receipts.
• Presiding officer Sen. Francis Escudero said the impeachment court could summon witnesses on its own if it deemed their testimony necessary. He made the clarification after Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo expressed hope that former Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group officials Col. Dennis Nolasco and Col. Raymund Lachica would still be called to testify despite the prosecution indicating it no longer needed them.
• Senator Robin Padilla, who has described himself as an ally of the Duterte family, argued that the immunity from suit enjoyed by the president should also extend to the vice president. He said this would protect impeachable officials from harassment and distraction.

READ: Highlights: Day 22 of Sara Duterte impeachment trial | Sept. 7, 2026

Day 23 (Sept. 8, 2026)

• The Senate impeachment court tackled the voting threshold for conviction and began the transition to Article II, or alleged unexplained wealth.
• Presiding officer Sen. Francis Escudero said amici curiae or friends of the court will appear on Sept. 16, followed by oral arguments on the voting-threshold issue on Sept. 23.
• Sen. Erwin Tulfo raised the issue, citing the absence of Loren Legarda, Ronald dela Rosa, Rodante Marcoleta and Jinggoy Estrada, who may be unable to participate in the final vote.
• The prosecution dropped its remaining 15 of 27 Article I witnesses, saying it had already presented 10 witnesses and stipulated two others.
• Prosecutor Lorna Kapunan said the prosecution reserved the right to call Vice President Sara Duterte herself to testify on all impeachment articles.
• Defense lead counsel Sheila Sison objected, arguing that compelling Duterte to testify would violate the constitutional protection against self-incrimination.
• With Article I evidence concluded, the court set Sept. 14 for the start of Article II proceedings.
• Lead prosecutor Chel Diokno said more than 1,800 bank, insurance and other financial documents would be marked on Sept. 9 and 10. Trial proceedings will be suspended on those days to allow both sides to participate.
• The court gave Duterte’s lawyers 15 days to respond to the prosecution’s Request for Admission covering 104 Article II items, including bank records prosecutors seek to authenticate as belonging to Duterte.
• Escudero announced a revised trial calendar, including whole-day sessions from Oct. 1 to 2 and Oct. 5 to 15, followed by a break from Oct. 16 to Nov. 8 for the 2027 national budget process.

READ: Highlights: Day 23 of Sara Duterte impeachment trial: Sept. 8, 2026

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Outside the courtroom, the impeachment court named four retired Supreme Court justices as amici curiae to guide it on the question: retired Chief Justices Artemio Panganiban, Reynato Puno, and Hilario Davide Jr., and retired Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna, who will appear on September 16, with oral arguments by the parties set for September 23.

Detained Sen. Marcoleta, meanwhile, sent a letter to Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian and Escudero asserting he retains legal capacity to vote as a senator-judge because he is not under preventive suspension. /dp

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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.