Jamaine Punzalan

Defense counsel Mark Vinluan, July 13, 2026. Wendell Alinea, Senate Social Media Unit

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VP Sara Impeachment

Jaehwa Bernardo

ABS-CBN News

<div><strong><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178401988074520260714--senate-impeachment-day4-SSMU-WA-16.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Defense counsel Mark Vinluan, July 13, 2026. Wendell Alinea, Senate Social Media Unit </span></span></span></strong></div><p>MANILA — Impeachment trial presiding officer Francis &quot;Chiz&quot; Escudero on Tuesday called out one of Vice President Sara Duterte&#x27;s lawyers for remarks related to her Bar exam grades. </p><p>Defense counsel Mark Vinluan brought up Duterte&#x27;s legal background while questioning National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) official Jeremy Lotoc, a witness in the trial.</p><p>&quot;Are you aware that the Vice President is a lawyer? That she has, of course, a law degree and passed the Bar Exams? With a first attempt and with a rating of 80 percent, are you aware of this?&quot; Vinluan asked Lotoc, who is also a lawyer.</p><p>&quot;She has a higher grade than most of the lawyers here,&quot; Vinluan continued before he was cut off by fellow lawyer Virgil Ligutan, counsel for the prosecution.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CzbZwzVKFgg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>Ligutan objected to Vinluan&#x27;s statements and asked its relevance.</p><p>&quot;Counsel for the respondent, kindly avoid those disparaging statements given that there are a lot of lawyers here and you don&#x27;t know what their grades are,&quot; Escudero, who is also a lawyer, told Vinluan.</p><p>&quot;We will comply, Your Honor,&quot; Vinluan answered.</p><p>Vinluan mentioned Duterte&#x27;s lawyer background to ask Lotoc: &quot;If she was serious, about her alleged plan involving BBM, FL and the former Speaker, does it make sense for her that she would publicly announce this to the general public, if you know?&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/14/defense-plays-more-clips-from-2024-duterte-video-in-lotoc-cross-examination-1559"><strong>READ: Defense plays more clips from 2024 Duterte video in Lotoc cross-examination<br/></strong></a></div><p>He was referring to Duterte&#x27;s statements during a November 2024 press conference, in which she claimed to have hired someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she were killed first.</p><p>&quot;I don&#x27;t know that, Your Honor,&quot; Lotoc responded.</p><p>Duterte is facing allegations of grave threats and inciting to sedition over her statements during the press conference, which form the basis of one of the four Articles of Impeachment against her.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/14/-typos-do-not-alter-fact-that-vp-sara-duterte-made-alleged-threats-nbi-exec-1653"><strong>&#x27;Typos&#x27; do not alter fact that VP Sara Duterte made alleged threats: NBI exec </strong></a><strong><br/><a href="http://&#x27;Typos&#x27; do not alter fact that VP Sara Duterte made alleged threats: NBI exec">Cayetano questions NBI exec on condition tied to VP Sara&#x27;s alleged threat </a><br/></strong><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/14/live-updates-vice-president-sara-duterte-s-impeachment-trial-day-5-1345"><strong>LIVE UPDATES: Vice President Sara Duterte&#x27;s Impeachment Trial (Day 5) </strong></a></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><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></span><br/></div>

<p>Impeachment trial presiding officer Francis "Chiz" Escudero on Tuesday called out one of Vice President Sara Duterte's lawyers for remarks related to her Bar exam grades.</p>

Impeachment trial presiding officer Francis "Chiz" Escudero on Tuesday called out one of Vice President Sara Duterte's lawyers for remarks related to her Bar exam grades.

Sara Duterte's lawyer called out over 'disparaging' remarks about Bar exam grades

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Sara Duterte's lawyer called out over 'disparaging' remarks about Bar exam grades

Jaehwa Bernardo,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 14, 2026 05:07 PM PHT

Read More:

Sara Duterte impeachment trial

Mark Vinluan

Chiz Escudero

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