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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte — the first Philippine public official to be impeached twice by the House of Representatives — began at 2 pm on Monday, July 6.
There are four articles of impeachment against Duterte involving alleged misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery of Department of Education officials, and grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family.
For the first three weeks, the trial will be held from Monday to Wednesday, and starting July 28, from Tuesday to Thursday. The prosecution will have 62 trial dates, while the defense will have 30 trial dates.
Only 21 out of 24 senator-judges are physically present. Senator Bato dela Rosa remains in hiding as he faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, Senator Jinggoy Estrada has been detained and suspended in connection with a plunder case, and Senator Rodante Marcoleta surrendered to authorities as he also faces a plunder case.
On this page, we bring you the latest updates, analyses, videos, and photos as the trial of the Vice President unfolds.
LATEST UPDATES
What fishing expedition? Diokno counters accusation of Sara Duterte’s defense team
Prosecutor Chel Diokno disputes claims that their request for Vice President Sara Duterte’s financial records is tantamount to a fishing expedition.
Senator Pia Cayetano had cited Afulugencia v Metrobank, and said that the 2014 Supreme Court ruling insisted that the petitioner cannot build their whole case on evidence from their opponent.
Diokno says that a fishing expedition only occurs when a party is blindly requesting information in hopes it would find evidence. He argues that this does not apply to the prosecution team in the trial, as they supposedly have the basis to request Duterte’s financial records due to AMLC findings that her bank transactions worth billions of pesos do not match her declared net worth.
Prosecution says AMLC secrecy cannot override impeachment court’s subpoena power
House prosecutor Chel Diokno argues the confidentiality provisions of the Anti-Money Laundering Act do not prevent the Senate impeachment court from subpoenaing AMLC records, saying accountability must prevail over secrecy.
Is a subpoena of financial docs intrusive? Pia Cayetano, Diokno discuss 1967 SC ruling
Senator Pia Cayetano asks if evidence obtained from the House justice committee proceedings are valid if they were obtained improperly, as the impeachment court discusses the prosecution’s request to subpoena Vice President Sara Duterte’s financial records.
She cites Stonehill vs Diokno, a 1967 Supreme Court ruling that said general search warrants were ruled void.
Chel Diokno, son of the justice secretary who was the respondent in that case, explains that a search warrant — which is invasive — is different from a subpoena, which only needs to meet the requirement of relevance and materiality. Diokno says the prosecution satisfied both requirements because the documents are needed to establish that Duterte amassed unexplained wealth.
Cayetano asks if getting Duterte’s financial records is just as invasive, but Diokno insists that subpoenaed records are not automatically considered evidence, unlike evidence obtained through a search warrant.
Diokno: Obtaining Sara Duterte’s bank records will allow us to see ‘full picture’ of her wealth
House prosecutor Chel Diokno says on Monday, July 20, that obtaining the bank records of Vice President Sara Duterte will allow everyone to see the “full picture” of her wealth.
Villanueva to defense: What if court has enough safeguards to ease confidentiality concerns?
“If confidentiality is the problem, what if the impeachment court puts enough safeguards?” senator-judge Joel Villanueva asks the defense during the seventh day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial on Monday, July 20.
Defense spokesperson Michael Poa reiterates their position that whatever the court does must be in accordance with the Constitution and laws.
Prosecution expects NBI chief to withstand grilling at impeachment court
House prosecutor Bel Zamora says the prosecution expects NBI Director Melvin Matibag to withstand grilling by senator-judges when he appears before the impeachment court. Matibag earlier clashed with senator-judges Alan Peter and Pia Cayetano.
Erwin Tulfo calls out Duterte-allied senators for using impeachment court to raise non-trial matters
Senator Erwin Tulfo calls out Senator Robin Padilla for raising the issue of his rift with Ombudsman Boying Remulla — an issue not related to Vice President’s trial — before the impeachment court.
Prosecution to streamline presentations at Sara Duterte impeachment trial
In an interview with Rappler on Monday, July 20, House prosecutor Bel Zamora says they are streamlining the presentation of evidence and witnesses at Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, to deter public fatigue with the proceedings.
3 obstacles the prosecution must hurdle in Sara Duterte’s money trail
To examine whether Vice President Sara Duterte accumulated wealth she failed to disclose or could not explain, prosecutors want to compare what she declared in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), what moved through bank accounts linked to her, and what income she reported to tax authorities.
Read more.
Who is Lorenz Defensor, public prosecutor in Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial?
Now on his third and final term, Iloilo Representative Lorenz Defensor leads the prosecution’s sub-group on the impeachment article related to Sara Duterte’s apparent threat against President Marcos.
Read more.
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Credit belongs to : www.rappler.com
