Duterte impeachment trial Day 32
[ANALYSIS] What's it all about, Sonny?
Day 32 of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial lost its momentum after both the prosecution and the defense panels did something that surprised and dampened the public spirit.
At the beginning of what could have been a day-long trial, lead prosecution lawyer Gerville Luistro announced that the team would no longer ask former senator Sonny Trillanes to take the witness stand anytime during the trial, despite her colleague Rep. Terry Ridon’s proud and fiery insistence the other day that Trillanes would testify, come hell or high water.
Luistro’s announcement surprised the public, the defense, and the court since earlier this week, presiding officer Chiz Escudero and lead defense counsel Sheila Sison strongly questioned Trillanes' scheduled appearance on Day 32.
“The truth of the matter is that there was a continuing discussion (over Trillanes) and the surprise was we have come out with a decision today not for Trillanes to take the stand,” Luistro said in a news conference held after the hearing.
Her court announcement triggered a deluge of speculation, given the immediate posting on news sites and other social media platforms.
When the hearing slowly regained momentum, ready for a whole-day trial, the defense likewise asked the court to cut it short and have it rescheduled not for the following day, Friday, Oct. 2, but on Monday, Oct. 5, to hear the testimony of lawyer Ronel Buenaventura, executive director of the Anti-Money Laundering Council.
Sison told the court that the defense panel received copies of AMLC documents past 11 a.m. on Day 32 and she and other lawyers needed time to make a proper participation in the direct and cross-examination.
Both Trillanes and Buenaventura were set to testify on Duterte’s bank accounts on Day 32 to reinforce allegations that she had accumulated millions of unexplained wealth, as defined by Article II of the impeachment complaint filed against her.
Trillanes has been mouthing these allegations against the Dutertes early into the administration of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte. Father and daughter had maintained joint accounts, he said.
Buenaventura had freely talked about Sara’s accounts and those of her husband, lawyer Mans Carpio, in a House hearing, only a few weeks after he became AMLC chief in April 2026.
Before Escudero allowed Buenaventura's new schedule, prosecution lawyer Chel Diokno, senator-judges Tito Sotto and Risa Hontiveros pushed for Buenaventura’s appearance at once, not Monday, saying the public had been waiting for it.
“People will not enjoy the postponement of the hearing,” said Sotto, visibly upset. “I am speaking for the public.”
Citing various laws, Diokno and Hontiveros talked about the propriety of Buenaventura’s appearance, saying there have been previous incidents, say in the anti-graft court, the Sandiganbayan, summoning AMLC documents and the appearance of the agency’s authorized officials.
For senator-judges Alan Peter Cayetano and Kiko Pangilinan, a day of delay to allow the defense to study the AMLC documents was fair for the defense and the court.
“We have to respect the process,” said Pangilinan, a known Duterte critic.
“The end, as it has been often said, does not justify the means,” said Cayetano, a known Duterte supporter. “We have to give it to the defense so that they can properly comment on the AMLC documents.”
Escudero’s order to postpone the hearing for a day set aside all the legal arguments against Buenaventura's testimony. Definitely, Buenaventura will take the witness stand.
But while Buenaventura’s testimony would still push through, Trillanes had closed the door on taking the witness stand. Not on Monday, not at any time.
“It was his decision not to take the witness stand,” said Luistro.
“Even if we are disappointed or not, it is up to him. It is not going to be prudent on our part if the witness wouldn’t want to take the witness stand. It was his own decision to withdraw his name from the list of witnesses.”
Curiously, Trillanes would hold a press conference on Friday, Oct. 2, to explain his decision to abort his court appearance or directly tell the public what he knew about Duterte's alleged unexplained wealth.
Questions on the aborted appearance of Trillanes and the new schedule of Buenaventura dominated the prosecution’s press conference after the trial.
In fact, these eclipsed the testimonies of two officials of the Land Registration Authority based in Davao who took the witness stand on Day 31.
Lawyers Kathy Florence Baldonado of Davao City Register of Deeds and Marco Pineda, acting deputy Register of Deeds for the Island Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte, testified on two pieces of property acquired by Duterte's husband in 2018 and 2024, including a property in Matina, Davao City, and another in the Island Garden City of Samal.
The prosecution said these were not in Duterte’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities in 2024 and 2025, but the defense said otherwise. Their argument went back and forth during the trial.
On cross-examination, the defense asked the witnesses to compare a tax declaration value of P346,960 against Duterte’s 2024 SALN, trying to prove that a matching asset was listed; the prosecution countered that a matching figure does not automatically mean the specific properties in question were legally declared.
Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo questioned the clarity of the inquiry, pressing Baldonado on exactly how many of Carpio's properties were being scrutinized. Baldonado said her testimony was limited because the court subpoena specifically directed her to verify and bring the records for the targeted property.
But as Escudero pointed out, the problem was both the LRA and SALN documents did not contain specific details that it was nearly impossible if the documents were referring to the same pieces of property.
The court will have to summon more documents to reconcile the gaps in the documentation.
The land registry documents showed too many technical issues that didn’t sit well with the viewing public.
Trillanes’ non-appearance took the day. He was inside the court premises on Day 31 while Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte took the witness stand.
While he was raring to go, Trillanes was not called. When prosecutor Ridon called Trillanes’ name as the prosecution’s next-day witness, it triggered a ruckus, with Escudero calling an impromptu meeting with fellow senator-judges.
Sison and Escudero initially opposed Trillanes’ next-day appearance. And it didn’t sit well with Trillanes, our sources said.
Escudero later that night cancelled the hearing set for the following day, Sept. 30.
Now, Trillanes wanted to hold his own court. Just the same, he was expected to say everything he knew about Duterte’s wealth.
Trillanes is old enough and brave enough, and he knew what he was fighting for, said prosecution lawyer Lorna Kapunan.
“I would like to watch the press conference of Senator Trillanes, too,” said Luistro.
Duterte is already facing an impeachment trial for four different articles. The court would like to hear all information for a better appreciation of the allegations against her.
Why Trillanes would do it outside the impeachment court defied logic, unless, of course, he wanted to haul Duterte just in the bar of public opinion.
Here’s hoping that Trillanes wouldn’t sound and look like a genie who refused to return to the bottle.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinions of PhilSTAR L!fe, its parent company and affiliates, or its staff.
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