Sherwin Tinampay

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#VPOnTrial: Day 5

Victoria Tulad

Chalssea Kate Echegoyen

ABS-CBN News

<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iVlGJrfvFXM?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></div><div> </div>3:49 p.m. - Ligutan asks the court to admonish Vinluan. Vinluan asked Lotoc if the NBI subpoenaed the offended parties. Lotoc answered in the negative. Vinluan says, &quot;And yet you concluded that they were victims of grave threat.&quot; Lotoc says, &quot;Based on evidence we gathered.&quot; Vinluan says, &quot;Without any personal correspondances with them you came to that conclusion?&quot; Lotoc says, &quot;The evidence is clear.&quot;  Vinluan says, &quot;According to you.&quot; Ligutan says, &quot;I move that the defense counsel, with all due respect, be admonished from stating those unprofessional remarks. We are in front of national TV. That in his answer, if you are not satisfied. with his answer, please don&#x27;t lay any value to what the witness answered.&quot; Escudero reminds counsel to avoid side remarks. He says these will be stricken off henceforth, as well as questoned pose and immediately withdrawn to avoid any attempt at showmanship. 3:39 p.m. - Senator-judge Bong Go asks Lotoc how they can reconcile the fact that the VP discouraged her supporters from protesting in their streets vis a vis the claim of incing to sedition. Lotoc says it is not necessary to have an actual sedition; the law also penalizes seditious words that encourage people to dip illegal acts. He adds that they scrutinized the VP&#x27;s statements on October 18, November 23, and November 26, 2024. 3:30 p.m. - Sen. Alan Cayetano cautions against drawing a conclusion about Mayor Duterte making a threat against the first family. He believes the mayor was making a parallel between the Romanovs and the Marcoses, who were both evicted via a resolution. But unlike the Romanovs who were killed, the Marcoses were able to come back. Cayetano also says if Mayor Duterte meant killing the Marcoses, then Senator-judge Imee Marcos should have been offended as well. Cayetano says, &quot;There&#x27;s a thin line between warning and a threat.&quot; 3:22 p.m. - Lotoc says they did not see any relevant security issue regarding the VP, especially since she did not appear before the NBI and give information regarding the supposed threat. As far as Lotoc knows, the NBI Intelligence Service is continuously monitoring the matter.3:19 p.m. - Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo asks if the information of Princess Maui is reliable. Lotoc says no.3:17 p.m. - Lotoc says they took the information about Operation Romanov seriously, which was why they conudcted an investigation and found the video of Mayor Duterte.3:16 p.m. - Lotoc says he is not aware if the VP was the target of an unauthorized intelligence or surveillance operations.3:15 p.m. - Vinluan points out that Operation Romanov was mentioned by vlogger Princess Maui.3:13 p.m. - Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo asks Lotoc where the word Romanov came. Tulfo recalls hearing it from Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte during a Maisug rally. Lotoc tries to remember Mayor Duterte&#x27;s words, &quot;Mr. President, remember what happened to the Romanovs... When you go to bedd tonight, I think about the Romanovs. &#x27;Yun yata &#x27;yung pagkasabi. Parang sinasabi niya na baka mangyari sa pamilya niyo &#x27;yun gaya ng nangyari sa inyo noong 1986.&quot; Tulfo says he is confused as to who the threat was directed at when it was the mayor who mentioned the Romanovs in relation to the first family. According to Lotoc, they have not validated any Romanov operation and believes it started with Mayor Duterte.3:02 p.m. - Senator-judge and Minority Leader Alan Cayetano says why would the offended parties feel threatened when they had no intention to kill the VP in the first place. Cayetano to Lotoc says, &quot;In your investigation para maging grave threat, kailangan &#x27;yung party na tinreathen feels threatened.&quot; Lotoc says what came to their mind is the possibility of the instruction being triggered without the knowledge of the parties offended. He reiterates the danger of this. 2:58 p.m. - Vinluan shows a clip of President Marcos Jr. dated May 2025 saying he is open to reconciling with the Dutertes. He asks Lotoc if the President believes the VP will not harm him. Lotoc says he cannot know that and cannot establish the state of mind of the President just based on that clip. But Vinluan says Lotoc, in his affidavit, interpreted the mind of the offended parties. Lotoc replies this is based on a previous statement of the President that he is bothered and will stand up against the supposed threat. 2:47 p.m. - Vinluan points out that Lotoc does not have personal knowledge that the Vice President contracted an assassin. Lotoc confirms that he does not have personal knowledge, but believes the VP contracted an assassin because of the evidence they had gathered. 2:43 p.m. - Vinluan asks Lotoc if he can confirm the statements of Duterte relating to alleged acts of corruption of President Marcos Jr., the first lady, former Speaker Romualdez and other congressmen. Lotoc says, &quot;As to existence of that utterances, yes, Sir.&quot; Vinluan says Lotoc just admitted that congressmen are corrupt. Ligutan makes an objection, &quot;That is a foul side remark. The counsel is twisting the answer of the witness.&quot; Lotoc clarifies that he is confirming the existence of the utterance based on their pieces of evidence, but he cannot confirm whether those corrupt acts happened because he has no personal knowledge.2:32 p.m. - The counsel for the respondent plays other clips of the November 23 press briefing. Vinluan asks Lotoc if he knows whether the statements of the VP about President Marcos and former Speaker Romualdez are true. Lotoc says he doesn&#x27;t know personally about the factual circumstances. What he knows is Duterte uttered those statements. 2:27 p.m. - Vinluan manifests that even if the Vice President said in the November 23 briefing that she already talked to a person, the truth cannot be confirmed. because Lotoc does not have personal knowledge of it. Ligutan makes a counter-manifestation: &quot;The defense is entitled to their own conception of things, they are entitled to their own imagination.&quot;2:22 p.m. - Vinluan asks Lotoc if the NBI investigated the threat to Duterte&#x27;s life during the time of the livestream of the November 23, 2024 press briefing. Lotoc answers in the negative because they only found out about the livestream later in the day of November 23. He adds they later on sent a letter to Duterte on December 2 regarding their investigation on the supposed threat against her. 2:16 p.m. - Presiding officer senator-judge Francis Escudero says he, too, is confused with the question of the counsel for the respondent. 2:15 p.m. - Vinluan asks Lotoc if he can confirm for certain that the Vice President&#x27;s statements or any part thereof happened in real life. Lotoc says, &quot;Definitely yes. nangyari po &#x27;yon.&quot;2:11 p.m. - Counsel for the prosecutors Atty. Amando Ligutan objects to the playing of the video saying Vinluan did not say where this video came from and who its source is. Vinluan says the clip has already been marked evidence. 2:09 p.m. - The counsel for the respondent shows a clip of the November 23, 2024 online press briefing of Vice Presient Sara Duterte.2:06 p.m. - Atty. Mark Vinluan, counsel for the respondent, continues the cross-examination of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc.2:04 p.m. - 19 senator-judges are present, the chair declares a quorum.2:00 p.m. - Day 5 of the #VPOnTrial is called to order. Senator-judge Bong Go leads the court in prayer. <div> </div><div>DAY 5: Tuesday, July 14, 2026</div>Today is the fifth day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on article 4 of the Articles of Impeachment, which accuses Duterte of making grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. The Senate Impeachment Court shifts its spotlight to one of the trial&#x27;s most anticipated witnesses: Atty. Zuleika Lopez, the Vice President’s long-time aide and Office of the Vice President (OVP) Chief of Staff.Atty. Lopez is considered a pivotal witness because of her central role in the events that triggered the Vice President’s outburst.<div> </div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/13/live-updates-vice-president-sara-duterte-s-impeachment-trial-day-4-1358">LIVE UPDATES: Vice President Sara Duterte&#x27;s Impeachment Trial (Day 4)</a></div><div> </div><div>Refresh this page for the latest updates on the impeachment trial of the vice president.</div>

Follow this thread for the live updates on the day 5 of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial.

Follow this thread for the live updates on the day 5 of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial.

LIVE UPDATES: Vice President Sara Duterte's Impeachment Trial (Day 5)

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LIVE UPDATES: Vice President Sara Duterte's Impeachment Trial (Day 5)

Victoria Tulad,

Chalssea Kate Echegoyen,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 14, 2026 01:45 PM PHT

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Updated July 14, 2026 04:02 PM PHT

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Sara Duterte

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