Sara Duterte impeachment trial Day 24: What to expect

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The Senate impeachment court on Monday will begin tackling Article 2 of the impeachment case, which accuses Vice President Sara Duterte of accumulating unexplained wealth.

Former Sandiganbayan presiding justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang will be the first witness that the House prosecution panel will call, according to impeachment court spokesperson Regie Tongol.

He said the prosecution will seek to qualify Cabotaje-Tang as an expert witness in the trial.

“‘Pag expert witness po para po siyang in a way parang amici, amicus curiae na sasabihin niya kung paano ‘yung proseso ng isang hukom para ma-determine kung meron bang unexplained wealth o improperly accumulated wealth ‘yung isang opisyales,” Tongol told Senate reporters last Friday.

(An expert witness acts, in a way, like an amicus curiae (friend of the court). She would explain the process a judge follows to determine whether an official possesses unexplained or improperly accumulated wealth.)

“Pati po kung ano ‘yung mekanismo para ma-determine na ‘yun at saka po kung ano ‘yung standards at ano po rin ‘yung mga gawain ng isang usual na government official sa pagtatago ng kanyang mga wealth kasi dahil siya ay very experienced on the matter being Sandiganbayan Justice for a very long time,” he added.

(She would also explain the mechanisms for making that determination, the applicable standards, and the methods government officials might use to conceal their wealth—drawing on her extensive experience, having served as a Sandiganbayan Justice for a very long time.)

The Article 2 of the Articles of Impeachment specifically alleges that the Vice President accumulated unexplained wealth through the following:

failure to fully and truthfully disclose all her and her spouse's assets, liabilities, and net worth in her statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN) including in her SALN for the years 2022, 2023, and 2024; and

failure to divest, and instead, willfully continued, all her business interests during her tenure as vice president for the years 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Tongol said only one person might be presented on Monday as the court expects that the prosecution will exhaust the time available for the testimony of Cabotaje-Tang.

“Knowing the weight of the witness, ayaw naman syempre ng House prosecution panel na sayangin ‘yung appearance ni Justice Tang. And importante rin siguro ‘yung mga sasabihin niya. So magandang, I think the prosecution will make a very good presentation on Monday,” he said.

(Knowing the weight of the witness, the House prosecution panel naturally wouldn’t want to waste Justice Tang’s appearance in court. Her testimony is likely important, too. So, I think the prosecution will make a very good presentation on Monday.)

Should Cabotaje-Tang be qualified as an expert witness, Tongol said that she will still be subject to the cross-examination of the defense team.

“‘Yung opposing counsel magtatanong po ng mga bagay-bagay na pwedeng butasin. ‘Yung one ---‘yung credibility ng expertise niya, kung talagang expert pa siya o hindi,” he explained.

(The opposing counsel will ask questions to try to poke holes in her testimony. One way is by questioning the credibility of her expertise — whether or not she truly qualifies as an expert witness.)

“Pangalawa, ‘yung kanyang conclusions. Paano siya naka-come up ng conclusion? May basehan ba ‘yan sa logic? ‘Yung kanyang conclusions ba ay base do’n sa mga pinakitang mga facts o dokumento?”

(Secondly, is by questioning her conclusions. How did she arrive at them? Is there a logical basis? Are her conclusions grounded in the facts or documents presented?) — BAP, GMA News