MANILA, Philippines — The Senate impeachment court on Thursday, October 1, approved the House prosecution panel’s motion to issue subpoenas for representatives of seven banking institutions, seven financial and insurance companies, and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to testify in the ongoing trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
The decision was announced after Batangas 2nd District Representative Gerville Luistro, lead prosecutor for the House panel, confirmed that the prosecution will no longer call former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV to take the witness stand.
The financial entities targeted by the court order include seven major banks:
- Land Bank of the Philippines
- Asia United Bank
- Philippine Savings Bank
- Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company (Metrobank)
- Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI)
- Philippine National Bank (PNB)
- BDO Unibank
Additionally, representatives from seven insurance and financial service firms were summoned to appear:
- Prudential Life
- Allianz
- Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife)
- FWD Life Insurance
- BPI-AIA Life Assurance Corporation
- BDO Securities Corporation
- BDO Life Assurance Company
Outlining the sequence of witness appearances, Luistro informed the tribunal of the proposed schedule:
“For Monday, October 5, we will be presenting the BIR. And for Tuesday, October 6, we will be presenting the representatives of banks and insurance companies.”
“And it is in this light, your honor, that we respectfully reiterate our request for assurance of subpoena to BIR as well as the representatives of banks and insurance companies,” she added.
Luistro noted that representatives from the specified banking institutions will be called in the exact order listed in the prosecution’s formal request. She further emphasized the necessity of issuing subpoenas duces tecum et ad testificandum to ensure both the physical presence of representatives and the production of official documents.
Presiding Officer and Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero subsequently granted the prosecution’s request, issuing the formal summonses to the BIR, banks, and financial entities.
The requested financial records are slated to support the prosecution’s case under Article II of the Articles of Impeachment, which addresses allegations regarding unexplained wealth, inaccuracies in Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN), and the alleged failure to divest from private business interests.