Duterte impeachment trial Day 40
[ANALYSIS] Sara Duterte's first witness too weak for an opening salvo
The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte resumed after over three weeks, but provided very little value in shattering allegations that she had been unfaithful in declaring her wealth.
Given the defense's bravado in presenting its set of witnesses to debunk what it had termed the prosecution’s malicious allegations against the VP, the public had high expectations of the defense’s first witness—engineer Jaime Adalin, city assessor of Davao City Hall—on the 40th day of the trial.
On the witness stand, Adalin was expected to prove the House prosecution panel’s claim that Duterte failed to disclose the real property covered by Transfer Certificate of Title No. 146-2024010775 in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth.
On direct examination, the witness would tell defense counsel Lindon Bacquel that it was the property Duterte had identified in her 2024 and 2025 SALN, but only to take it back when pressed by Presiding Officer Chiz Escudero and prosecution lawyer Benjamin Tolosa Jr. for clarification.
In his opening statement, Bacquel said Adalin was expected to prove that the House prosecution panel’s claims were “malicious and completely false.”
Adalin said that he was a civil engineer and a real estate appraiser. He is also a resident of Cabantian, Davao City, for around 10 years now, probably to reinforce his familiarity with the terrain.
CONTINUE READING BELOW
He said he has been working as the Davao City assessor for more or less nine years, where he was tasked with ensuring that “all laws governing real properties shall be properly executed.”
That real property covered by TCT No. 146-2024010775, owned and registered under Duterte’s husband, lawyer Mans Carpio, was the controversial property.
Until then, everything was all right.
On Tolosa’s cross-examination, Adalin flip-flopped over allegations that the TCT properties did not match the SALN records.
It could have been “that property,” he told Bacquel.
But he was not really sure, he would tell Escudero. He suggested to the court that he would go back to get more documents for the court.
Simply having properties, said Tolosa, listed in the same village—Barangay Matina Crossing and Barangay 74-A—with similar assessed values did not confirm they were the same real estate assets.
Adalin could have been ill-prepared, suffering stage fright, but he was caught always smiling on camera, at times even sounding irreverent with his reply.
To some senator-judges, Adalin was a great disappointment, providing “unbelievable responses,” according to Risa Hontiveros, or “full of inconsistencies,” according to Kiko Pangilinan.
It was the first day of the trial following a month-long recess. The defense began its presentation under a drastically changed landscape after the House prosecution dropped three out of four impeachment articles—Article I on confidential funds, Article III on bribery, and Article IV on grave threats—to focus solely on the P817.87 million to P1.5 billion unexplained wealth allegations.
All these could have upset the defense’s preparation and calendar, and put pressure on its direction. Its supposed first witness, a former law dean, begged off. Another was indisposed.
Tolosa, who faced flak over his previous statements calling defense lawyer Michael Poa an “abogadong walang alam,” seemed to have regained his ground.
On the 40th day of the trial, Tolosa seemed in control of the narrative on the floor. Before he capped his first examination, he asked Adalin about his personal circumstances and professional background. Who appointed him? Adalin is a City Hall employee, and the Dutertes have reigned over Davao for many, many decades.
Tolosa, on the other hand, argued that there was no way that Adalin could prove that the property indicated in Duterte’s SALN was the same property covered by the subject TCT. Adalin had no part in preparing Duterte’s SALN.
When asked about his trips to China, Adalin showed the worst part of his testimony.
“You would also admit that sometime in November 2025, you were one of the LGU officials of Davao who went to China on an all-expenses-paid tour sponsored by the Chinese consulate. Is that correct?” Tolosa further asked.
“I think that's irrelevant,” Adalin said, drawing laughter from the courtroom.
"Funny ka dun ha. Funny ka dun, Engineer Jimmy," Escudero said.
Replied Adalin: “Actually, hindi ko talaga ma-recall.”
Vicente “Tito” Sotto III took the floor, stressing that the question was important to assess Adalin's credibility.
Adalin couldn’t remember if he had ever gone to China, but later confirmed it to Hontiveros, who obtained records that Adalin travelled to China in January 2025. Still, he could not remember the exact dates, the places he visited, among other things.
The inconsistencies in his testimony provided the House lawyers and members to feast on Adalin in subsequent conferences. Lead House prosecutor Gerville Luistro called Adalin a “liar.” There was no other word to describe him, she said.
On the question hour, the Tulfo brothers—Erwin and Raffy—had to remind the witness he was under oath, and that he should be mindful of his answers.
Erwin did not find Adalin’s answers funny and reminded him that the court had the power to cite him in contempt for his inconsistencies and irreverence.
“Mr. Presiding Officer, para ho tayong niloloko ng testigo na ito,” he said.
“Sir, may I remind you that you're under oath? 'Yung ginagawa ho ninyong kenkoy ang inyong testimonya, bawal po 'yan. We can cite you for contempt. Just to remind you, sir. Just to remind you, okay? We are serious here," he added. "Tinatanong ko kayo, 'Nakapunta ba kayo?' Ayaw niyo sabihin. 'Yung petsa, hindi niyo rin malaman."
Until the court adjourned on Monday afternoon after some four hours of hearing, the defense, through Adalin, failed to turn the tables—well, not yet. All the claims of the prosecution remained.
It was probably too early to judge the defense, but Adalin’s testimony put its lawyers, all young and idealist, in a corner. It was not the best curtain raiser at all.
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.
WATCH: Do you still believe in marriage? (Generations Ep. 17)
August 19, 2026