VP Duterte Impeachment Trial: Court Orders Prosecution to Present Evidence First

VP Duterte Impeachment Trial: Court Orders Prosecution to Present Evidence First

By Bing Jabadan – TheNATIONWEEK.com | July 29, 2026

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate impeachment court has ruled that the prosecution must complete its presentation of evidence for all articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte before the defense can present its case. This decision, made by Presiding Officer Francis Escudero, arises from the failure of both legal teams to reach an alternative agreement on the trial’s proceedings.

The ruling, delivered on Wednesday, emphasizes a commitment to established legal procedures in the absence of consensus. “It’s clear from your written manifestations that there’s no agreement between the two parties,” Escudero stated, clarifying the court’s adherence to the original order.

This directive means the prosecution will first present all its evidence related to every article of impeachment that they do not withdraw. Subsequently, the defense team will present its counter-evidence for all remaining articles.

Senator Bam Aquino’s inquiry last week about a possible alternating presentation of evidence was met with a negative response from Escudero, who cited the precedent set by the 2012 impeachment trial of then-Chief Justice Renato Corona. In that landmark case, the court similarly mandated the prosecution to conclude its evidence presentation before the defense began.

Currently, the prosecution has completed its evidence presentation for Article IV, which alleges assassination threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

The focus has now shifted to Article I, which centers on the alleged misuse and irregular liquidation of P612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd), both previously headed by Vice President Duterte.

Key Witness Declares OVP’s P500M Encashment “Not Suspicious,” Despite Being “Unusual”

In a significant development during the impeachment trial, a former LandBank executive testified that a P500 million encashment by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) was not deemed “suspicious,” even though it was considered “unusual.”

Violeta Constantino, former department manager of the LandBank Shaw Boulevard branch, made this statement while being cross-examined by Senator-Judge Bam Aquino on the tenth day of the impeachment trial. Constantino serves as the House prosecution panel’s first witness addressing Article I.

Constantino personally oversaw former OVP Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta’s encashment of four checks, each valued at P125 million, totaling P500 million.

During the inquiry, Aquino pressed Constantino on whether LandBank reported this high-value encashment as a suspicious transaction. Constantino declined to confirm or deny, citing restrictions under the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA). She clarified that while transactions exceeding P500,000 are automatically reported to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), this does not automatically classify them as “suspicious.”

When further pressed by Aquino on her inability to confirm the “suspicious” categorization, Constantino asserted, “Because for us, it was not really suspicious.”

She further explained that the bank categorizes a transaction as suspicious only when it is deemed “doubtful.” “But for this particular transaction, we didn’t have any doubts because we knew the transaction was legit,” Constantino stated in Filipino, reinforcing the bank’s internal assessment of the transaction’s legitimacy despite its unusual nature.

This testimony could have significant implications for the prosecution’s case regarding the alleged misuse of confidential funds, as it directly challenges the notion of impropriety surrounding a major financial transaction by the OVP. The trial continues, with further witnesses and evidence expected to be presented as the prosecution delves deeper into Article I.

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