The House prosecution panel may no longer call Vice President Sara Z. Duterte to testify in her Senate impeachment trial, signaling that her appearance would yield little value given the defense panel’s established position on the financial documents presented in court.
House private prosecutor and legal spokesperson Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. revealed the shift in trial strategy during an interview, noting that defense lawyers have already manifested that Duterte has no recollection of a joint Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) account with her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“For now, mukhang hindi na,” Tolosa explained regarding plans to put the Vice President on the witness stand. “We’ve always said before: why do we want to call the Vice President, assuming it will be allowed? Pero nakita naman natin, based dun sa mga lumabas questioning on cross-examination nung kabila and yung mga response nila dun sa senator-judges… nung sinabi ng isa sa mga counsel doon, hindi na daw matandaan ng Bise Presidente itong joint account na ito or kung nagkaroon man siya ng any transaction.”
House prosecutors had originally considered summoning Duterte to address allegations concerning confidential funds under Article I and financial records under Article II.
Tolosa pointed to the defense’s cross-examination of bank witnesses, which sought to show that Duterte could not independently access or review accounts maintained solely under the name of her husband, Atty. Manases Carpio, as another factor rendering her testimony redundant.
“Ayaw naman natin pangunahan kung anong punto nila, kung anong strategy nila, pero parang same dun sa kay former president, parang hindi niya rin alam,” Tolosa added. “So kung ganun lang din yung magiging sagot… wala ring use na ipapatawag namin para marinig ng mga senator-judges sa kanya.”
Instead, the prosecution concluded its case-in-chief on Article II by presenting forensic financial analyst Alexander Cabrera, who consolidated bank, tax and government records into a single financial overview.
“We thought baka sayang lang yung oras ng lahat, so mas magandang we’ll end with this witness na pinagtahi-tahi na niya lahat nung mga records… to show us yung complete financial status nitong Bise Presidente natin,” Tolosa explained.