Jamaine Punzalan

The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, resumes the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. Wendell D. Alinea, Senate Social Media Unit

Article (news)

VP Sara Impeachment

David Dizon

ABS-CBN News

<div><br/></div><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/178528844859620260722-senate-impeachment-day8-SSMU-WA-3.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, resumes the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. Wendell D. Alinea, Senate Social Media Unit</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p><strong></strong>MANILA — <strong></strong>Prosecutors on Wednesday are set to proceed with the presentation of two witnesses in Impeachment Article 1 against Vice President Sara Duterte, after her defense rejected a proposal to change the presentation of evidence per article. </p><p>Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said he received a letter from the defense, informing the impeachment court that they disagreed with the proposed changes in the flow of the presentation.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/28/house-prosecution-backs-alternating-presentation-of-evidence-in-impeachment-trial-1830">House prosecution backs alternating presentation of evidence in impeachment trial </a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/27/luistro-sees-advantage-in-alternating-presentation-of-evidence-between-defense-prosecution-1550">Luistro sees &#x27;advantage&#x27; in alternating presentation of evidence between defense, prosecution </a></div><p>Gatchalian said the defense cited several grounds in rejecting the changes.</p><p>“Magtutuloy yung prosecution sa Article 1 dahil nakakuha kami ng sulat kahapon na hindi po pumapayag yung depensa na ayusin yung flow ng impeachment…Una, sinasabi nila na pag-usapan na ito sa pre-trial order. At pangalawa, fairness and fair play dahil nga kailangan nilang oras para magprepara at gusto nilang marinig muna yung prosecution ilatag lahat ng kanilang argumento. ‘Yan ang dalawang dahilan kung bakit hindi sila pumayag,” he told radio DZMM.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/sara-duterte-impeachment-trial">Impeachment Trial of Sara Duterte </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/f1YY0HBD64Q?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>Gatchalian said he allowed both the prosecution and the defense to discuss the matter in the interest of fairness instead of letting the court decide.</p><p>“To be honest, pwede naman ‘yung impeachment court mag-decide. Pero gusto natin maging patas at mag-agree ‘yung dalawang panig dahil gusto nating pairalin dito yung fairness, due process at gusto natin na maayos yung paglalatag ng impeachment trial,” he said.</p><p>Prosecutors are set to present two former Land Bank of the Philippines branch managers who will testify on the disbursement of some P612 million in confidential funds allegedly misused by the Vice President while she was still education secretary.</p><p>The Senate impeachment trial will resume at 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 29. Regular Senate sessions will then resume at 4 p.m.</p><p>Gatchalian urged both the prosecution and defense to speed up the direct and cross-examination so that both witnesses could complete their testimonies in the allotted five hours. </p><p>He noted the prosecution and defense would usually take about an hour and a half each for the direct and cross-examination while the senator-judges sometimes took two hours to ask questions.</p><p>“We hope matapos today yung dalawa [witnesses] para makausad tayo kaagad,” he said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/27/duterte-says-won-t-resign-amid-impeachment-trial-1102">Duterte says she won&#x27;t resign </a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/26/prosecutors-weigh-options-on-diokno-video-posted-on-pia-cayetano-s-fb-page-1347">Prosecutors weigh options on Diokno video posted on Pia Cayetano’s FB page </a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/25/poa-says-defense-considering-escudero-s-advice-on-changing-spokesperson-0947">Poa prefers to &#x27;stay as counsel&#x27; as defense weighs Escudero&#x27;s advice </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/qbqma5rUDwY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Prosecutors in the impeachment trial of Vice-President Sara Duterte are set to proceed with the presentation of two witnesses in Article 1 of the impeachment against the VP after the defense rejected a proposal to change the presentation of evidence per article.</p>

Prosecutors in the impeachment trial of Vice-President Sara Duterte are set to proceed with the presentation of two witnesses in Article 1 of the impeachment against the VP after the defense rejected a proposal to change the presentation of evidence per article.

Impeachment trial Day 10: Prosecution to proceed with Article 1 vs Duterte — Gatchalian

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Impeachment trial Day 10: Prosecution to proceed with Article 1 vs Duterte — Gatchalian

David Dizon,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 29, 2026 09:37 AM PHT

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Updated July 29, 2026 10:20 AM PHT

Read More:

sara duterte

impeachment

prosecution

defense

win gatchalian

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