Highlights: Day 38 of Sara Duterte impeachment trial | Oct. 12, 2026

MANILA, Philippines – Day 38 of the trial on Monday centered on the cross-examination of prosecution forensic financial analyst Alexander Cabrera, who conceded that his report showing P817 million in alleged unexplained wealth was based on available documents and did not include records submitted directly by Duterte or her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio. 

Defense counsel Kristine Ferrer also drew from Cabrera that Duterte declared only about 20 percent of her properties “on average,” a figure based on Cabrera’s own methodology. 

The Senate Impeachment Court ruled to retain on record the defense’s characterization of Cabrera’s testimony as erroneous, rejecting the prosecution’s bid to strike the remark. 

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READ: Highlights: Day 37 of Sara Duterte impeachment trial | Oct. 9, 2026

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Cabrera also defended his qualifications during cross-examination, maintaining he is a competent forensic accounting expert despite defense questions about his background in taxation rather than graft cases. He told the court he was not scared or concerned about confidentiality violations when he received Duterte’s subpoenaed financial records, citing the AMLA, Bank Secrecy Law, and the National Internal Revenue Code provisions raised by Ferrer. 

With Cabrera’s excusal, presiding officer Senate President Francis Escudero announced receipt of a prosecution manifestation seeking to dispense with Article III, which covers the alleged bribery of Department of Education officials. 

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian confirmed the defense is scheduled to begin its presentation on November 9. 

The trial will be suspended starting October 14 to allow the prosecution to file its formal offer of evidence, Senate Impeachment Clerk of Court lawyer Renato Bantug confirmed. 

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The prosecution said it will seek guidance from the court before filing that formal offer. 

On the sidelines, Duterte told reporters that the cases against her are already failing and that all evidence presented was fabricated, saying “Bumabagsak na yung kaso nila.” 

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Her husband Manases Carpio, whose financial records figured prominently in Cabrera’s report, said he feels like “collateral damage” in the proceedings. 

Separately, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said allegations of Chinese funding linked to a company tied to Carpio could pose a threat “at the highest level” to the Philippines if proved true. 

The National Bureau of Investigation said it is now investigating the connection between businessman Jaime Tan Cruz and companies tied to Duterte and her siblings. 

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Sources

1. Panelo: ‘Dark horse’ could replace Sara Duterte in 2028
2. Prosec: Premature to talk 2028, we don’t even know if Sara can run
3. Sara Duterte impeachment trial to pause starting Oct. 14 – court
4. Impeach court keeps defense ‘erroneous’ remark vs prosecution witness
5. Analyst: VP Duterte declared only 20% of properties ‘on average’
6. Gatchalian: Defense to start presentation on Nov. 9
7. Sara Duterte: Impeachment cases already failing; all evidence fabricated
8. Sara Duterte trial: Forensic account expert defends credentials
9. P817M unexplained wealth report did not include Sara Duterte’s records
10. NBI probing links of businessman Jaime Tan Cruz to Dutertes
11. VP trial: Witness not scared, concerned over confidentiality violations

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.