Defense’s list of witnesses in Sara Duterte trial expected this week

VEEP. Vice President Sara Duterte talks to supporters as she prepares to leave the Quezon City Regional Trial Court after the postponement of the arraignment for her grave threats case, on October 9, 2026.

Noel Celis/Reuters

'We issued an advisory last week which reminded the defense that it should provide the Court with a list of its witnesses at least five days before their intended date of presentation,' says Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr.

AT A GLANCE

• The defense counsel for Vice President Sara Duterte is preparing to present evidence in the impeachment trial and is expected to request subpoenas for witnesses this week.
• The Senate impeachment court has a five-day rule requiring the defense to submit a list of witnesses before their presentation, and the trial is set to resume on November 9.
• The prosecution has withdrawn most articles of impeachment, allowing the defense to focus on rebutting the remaining unexplained wealth case, while the court awaits the defense's formal comments on recent rulings.

This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors.

MANILA, Philippines – The defense counsel of Vice President Sara Duterte is preparing to present its evidence in the ongoing impeachment trial, with the Senate impeachment court expecting it to seek subpoenas for its witnesses this week.

Senate Secretary and Clerk of Court Renato Bantug Jr. said on Tuesday, November 3, that the defense is expected to request the issuance of subpoenas for its list of witnesses ahead of the resumption of the proceedings.

This is in accordance with the five-day rule of the Senate impeachment court, which requires the defense to submit its list of witnesses at least five days before their intended presentation.

“We issued an advisory last week, which among others, reminded the defense that it should provide the Court with a list of its witnesses at least five days before their intended date of presentation,” Bantug said.

The impeachment trial was temporarily paused to give way for the Senate committee hearings on the proposed 2027 national budget. Trial will resume on Monday, November 9, with the defense beginning its presentation of evidence.

Prior to the break, the prosecution team in the impeachment trial withdrew all but one of the articles of impeachment to expedite the proceedings, a move that the impeachment court accepted.

Senate impeachment court Presiding officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero said the defense team no longer needs to present counter-evidence for all the dropped cases, and can focus on rebutting the prosecution’s unexplained wealth case.

Escudero also lifted the sub judice rule covering the withdrawn articles, but the ruling drew objections from the defense team. The impeachment court said it would await the defense’s formal comment before deciding whether to reconsider the ruling, either in whole or in part.

Bantug said the defense had yet to submit its formal comment on the matter.

Impeachment trial calendar

In a related development, the Senate impeachment court issued an advisory on the schedule of the trial for November. 

The calendar for the trial is as follows: 

• November 9 — 10:00 am
• November 10 — 10:00 am to 6:30 pm
• November 11 — 10:00 am
• November 12-13 — 10:00 am to 6:30 pm
• November 19-20 — 10:00 am to 6:30 pm
• November 23— 10:00 am to 2:00 pm