The Senate impeachment court is set to defer its examination of Vice President Sara Duterte’s bank, tax, and Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) documents as trial proceedings resume this week, choosing instead to focus first on allegations regarding the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
Senate President Win Gatchalian clarified that the court will fully conclude the presentation of evidence and witness testimonies for Article 1 before shifting focus to Article 2, which addresses Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth.
“These (bank, tax records) actually pertains to Article 2; right now, we are on Article 1, which concerns the confidential funds,” Gatchalian said in a radio interview.
“And this week, the two COA (Commission on Audit) auditors involved in auditing the confidential funds have been summoned. So, these tax records are actually for Article 2—dealing with unexplained versus explained wealth. We will first finish Article 1, regarding the confidential funds. Once the prosecution has presented the case for Article 1, we will move on to Article 2,” the Senate leader said.
While the financial documents were delivered to the Senate late last week, they will remain on hold until Article 2 is formally taken up.
Lead prosecutor and Batangas 2nd District Representative Gerville Luistro confirmed that former Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office (ICFAO) auditor Roderick Wamil and incumbent ICFAO supervising auditor Celine May Del Campo have been summoned to testify.
House Legislative Information Resources Management Department Director Marivic Pareja is also scheduled to take the witness stand following the auditors.
Gatchalian expressed optimism that the proceedings could pick up speed if the prosecution provides compelling evidence that reduces the need for additional witnesses.
“It depends on the prosecution’s strategy. Right now, the ball is in the prosecution’s court. It hinges on the evidence they present—specifically, whether they have such solid evidence that other witnesses become unnecessary,” Gatchalian said.
He noted that the trial’s current pace stems from the overwhelming amount of documentary evidence and an extensive list of over a hundred witnesses, given that individual testimonies often take one to two days to complete.
“The process is taking this long because of the sheer number of witnesses—over a hundred—plus the volume of documents. In other words, things are moving slowly because only one witness is heard per day; sometimes, a single witness takes two days, depending on their testimony. However, if the evidence presented turns out to be strong, I think they might reduce the number of witnesses,” the Senate chief pointed out.
Gatchalian pointed out that the prosecution previously streamlined its approach during Article IV proceedings—which involved alleged grave threats made by Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez—by dropping five scheduled witnesses after deeming their prior testimonies sufficient.
“They decided not to call five of the scheduled witnesses because they felt the testimonies they had already secured were sufficient,” he pointed out.
Aside from courtroom delays, Gatchalian acknowledged that the trial is severely squeezing the Senate’s regular legislative work and space.
“It’s a major issue. We are currently finalizing schedules this week, and it has a significant impact, especially regarding the physical layout of the Senate. The Senate space is limited, and the impeachment proceedings have already taken up almost all the available rooms,” the Senate leader lamented.
The spatial constraints have also caused scheduling issues for the Commission on Appointments (CA), which relies on Senate facilities for its weekly Wednesday sessions.
“There is simply no room left for them,” Gatchalian said.
“Since the Commission on Appointments—as we recall—meets every Wednesday, they usually require three or four rooms in addition to the plenary hall, but now there are no rooms available. So, one of the arrangements we are making for the CA is to hold their meetings at the PICC (Philippine International Convention Center), while returning to the Senate for the plenary session. We are dealing with complications like that,” he said.