The House prosecution panel is set to introduce evidence regarding Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth this week, shifting the focus of her ongoing Senate impeachment trial to her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) and associated corporate filings.
Under Article II of the impeachment complaint, Duterte is charged with betrayal of public trust for allegedly acquiring assets disproportionate to her lawful income and failing to file accurate financial disclosures.
The prosecution team handling Article II is co-led by Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry L. Ridon and Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno.
To establish their case, prosecutors have lined up three initial witnesses: retired Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, Office of the Ombudsman Records Division OIC Atty. Karen Batu and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Director Atty. Gerardo del Rosario.
Cabotaje-Tang is slated to testify on legal standards governing public integrity and mechanisms for scrutinizing undisclosed wealth or conflict-of-interest violations. Batu will submit and verify official copies of Duterte’s SALNs retained by the Ombudsman, while Del Rosario will authenticate SEC filings related to commercial entities associated with Duterte and her spouse, attorney Manases “Mans” Carpio.
Ridon previously noted that the prosecution team is readying over 1,800 financial, tax, and banking documents for this phase of the trial.
The prosecution plans to cross-reference bank entries and Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) filings with Duterte’s declared SALNs and Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) data to assess whether her reported assets match her verified earnings. Ridon earlier categorized the subpoenaed financial records as the “last important pillar” of the prosecution’s unexplained wealth claims.
Additionally, the prosecution issued 104 requests for admission to the Vice President concerning the subpoenaed bank documentation. Senate President Francis Escudero, acting as presiding officer, granted the defense a 15-day period to answer, noting that the timeline would not pause trial proceedings.
The transition to Article II follows the prosecution’s conclusion of evidence presentation for Article I, which centers on the alleged misuse and improper liquidation of P612.5 million in confidential funds across the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education (DepEd).
Evidence has also been formally presented regarding separate charges related to alleged threats against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez. House managers are currently evaluating whether to present a remaining article concerning alleged cash distributions to DepEd personnel as part of an effort to streamline the trial.
The House of Representatives impeached Duterte on May 11 via a 257-25 vote with nine abstentions, transmitting the articles to the Senate two days later. Following pre-trial exhibit marking through June, the trial proper officially commenced on July 6.