The Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte is set to pivot next week toward allegations concerning the suspected misappropriation of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds.
This development follows an update on Wednesday, July 15, from House lead prosecutor and Batangas 2nd District Representative Gerville Luistro.
She notified the trial court that the prosecution is requesting subpoenas for its opening witnesses under Article I of the Articles of Impeachment.
Addressing Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who presides over the impeachment court, Luistro specified the individuals they want to call to back up the confidential funds allegations.
“We would like to beg the kind indulgence of the honorable impeachment court to note our next witnesses. This will be in support of article I, confidential funds.”
She further detailed the specific individuals the prosecution wishes to summon:
“We are requesting that we be allowed to request the issuance of subpoenas for our first three witnesses for confidential funds, including Marivic Pareja of the Legislative Archives and Museum Management Service of the House of Representatives, and two LandBank employees, Violeta Constantino, former branch manager of the LandBank Shaw Boulevard branch, and Nenita Camposano, former branch manager of the LandBank DepEd (Department of Education) branch.”
Timeline of the Transition
The core of the accusation centers on how confidential funds were managed within both the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd), the latter of which Duterte led from 2022 to 2024.
Currently, the prosecution is addressing Article IV—which covers charges of grave threats and inciting to sedition. They plan to wrap up this phase on Tuesday, July 21, with testimony from National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag, before immediately transitioning to the confidential funds issue.
Luistro outlined the timeline:
“If we will be presenting [National Bureau of Investigation Director] Attorney Melvin Matibag on Tuesday, then this means that the first witness for confidential funds will be presented on July 22, that is Wednesday.”
Summary of Charges
The 52-year-old Vice President faces four articles of impeachment. Article I specifically charges her with:
- Culpable violation of the Constitution
- Graft and corruption
- Betrayal of public trust
These charges stem from the alleged misuse, misappropriation, and irregular spending of secret funds. According to allegations from the House of Representatives, the OVP and DepEd spent a combined ₱612.5 million in confidential funds without proper documentation.
This includes an 11-day period in December 2022 where the OVP reportedly spent ₱125 million, utilizing acknowledgment receipts that allegedly featured fake names.
Following the session, Luistro shared her optimism about the prosecution’s case with reporters:
“We are equally confident. We have strong evidence, and that is why we feel ready to proceed to the presentation of evidence in support of the misuse, misappropriation, and irregular disbursement of confidential funds of both the OVP and the DepEd.”
In response to the prosecution’s request, the impeachment court has ordered the three specified witnesses to appear and deliver the necessary documentation tied to the confidential funds investigation.