MANILA, Philippines — The Senate impeachment court on Tuesday determined that Vice President Sara Duterte cannot be forced to respond to the House prosecution’s demand that she confirm the authenticity of subpoenaed financial records.
Presiding officer Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero announced the decision on the 31st day of the impeachment proceedings, explaining that forcing a response would improperly transfer the burden of proof from the prosecution onto the defense.
”To compel the respondent to answer the request under pain of having the matters deemed admitted would undermine these safeguards,” Escudero stated during the session.
”The impeachment court, therefore, rules that respondent cannot be required to serve a written response to the request for admission. The prosecution’s position that impeachment is not a criminal prosecution does not displace these safeguards,” he added.
House prosecutors had previously offered to drop the request and forgo calling additional witnesses if the defense team agreed to basic stipulations regarding the existence and legitimacy of the bank files. The proposal was intended to speed up the presentation of evidence related to the Vice President’s alleged unexplained wealth.
The decision was handed down just as the Vice President’s brother, Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, stepped up to testify.
Following arguments from both legal teams, the tribunal classified Mayor Duterte as a hostile witness, granting prosecutors permission to use leading questions during cross-examination.
His questioning centers on municipal contracts granted by Davao City to GenCorp Industries Inc.—a firm listed in the Vice President’s 2024 and 2025 asset declarations.