Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<div><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/1784076621377Screen Shot 2026-07-15 at 6.49.33 AM (5).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte cross-examines the first witness presented by the House prosecution panel during the third day of the impeachment trial on Wednesday, July 8. <em>Joseph B. Vidal, Senate Social Media Unit/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The Senate impeachment court trying Vice President Sara Duterte will shift away from witness testimony on Wednesday, the 6th day of the trial, to focus on high-stakes oral arguments over whether to open her confidential bank, tax, and anti-money laundering records.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/sara-duterte-impeachment-trial">READ: The Impeachment Trial of Sara Duterte</a></div><p>The trial’s sixth day will deviate from the previous hearings, after the prosecution panel dropped two key witnesses originally scheduled to testify on charges that Duterte made assassination threats against President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., the First Lady and the former Speaker.</p><p>Prosecutors on Tuesday chose to dispense with the testimonies of Duterte’s chief of staff Zuleika Lopez and House security chief Belinda Bello for the &quot;grave threats&quot; portion of the case, declaring their evidence already sufficient. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/14/duterte-s-camp-surprised-but-respects-withdrawal-of-zuleika-lopez-as-prosecution-witness-2142">Duterte’s camp surprised but respects withdrawal of Zuleika Lopez as prosecution witness</a></div><p>Asked about the reason behind the sudden change, lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro said they simply &quot;know when to stop.&quot;</p><p>&quot;What you see is what you get... We should know when to stop. Kapag na-establish na yung gusto natin, we should know when to present, and when not to present,&quot; she told DZMM Teleradyo on Wednesday, hours before the trial resumes.</p><p>No witnesses will take the stand during Wednesday afternoon&#x27;s session.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/24/breaking-down-vp-sara-duterte-s-declared-wealth-real-assets-make-up-most-of-it-2210">Breaking down VP Sara Duterte’s declared wealth: Real assets make up most of it</a></div><p>Instead, the trial will pivot to an oral argument over the prosecution’s motion to issue subpoenas for the financial histories of the Vice President and her husband Manases Carpio. Prosecutors are seeking access to data from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), commercial banks, and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/7/bir-receives-duterte-tax-records-sent-back-by-impeachment-court-1123">BIR receives Duterte tax records sent back by impeachment court</a></div><p>Luistro said prosecutor Rep. Chel Diokno will lead the panel in today&#x27;s oral arguments.</p><p>&quot;We are very much positive sa pagtayo ni Rep. Chel Diokno in behalf of the prosecution. Talagang I must say powerhouse ang prosecution team,&quot; she said.</p><p>The financial data is central to the prosecution’s upcoming efforts to prove separate articles of impeachment accusing Duterte of accumulating unexplained wealth and failing to truthfully disclose her assets.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/15/sara-duterte-s-net-worth-rose-p10-million-in-2025-still-no-cash-declared-1907">Sara Duterte&#x27;s net worth rose P10 million in 2025, still no cash declared</a></div><p>Duterte’s defense panel has repeatedly opposed the motions, calling the requests an overly broad &quot;fishing expedition&quot; that violates bank secrecy and tax laws.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><strong><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/cXTamjgDhfc?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><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/t0AE_HOTsfs?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><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/-oGAq1IEtUI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The trial’s sixth day will deviate from the previous hearings as it pivots to an oral argument over the prosecution’s motion to issue subpoenas for the financial histories of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband Manases Carpio.</p>

The trial’s sixth day will deviate from the previous hearings as it pivots to an oral argument over the prosecution’s motion to issue subpoenas for the financial histories of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband Manases Carpio.

Impeachment day 6: Prosecution, defense to spar over VP Sara bank, tax records

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Impeachment day 6: Prosecution, defense to spar over VP Sara bank, tax records

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 15, 2026 08:58 AM PHT

Read More:

Sara Duterte

Vice President Sara Duterte

VP Sara

impeachment

impeachment trial

bank

wealth

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