House prosecutors have dropped plans to call two witnesses on the sixth day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial. Oral arguments on subpoenas for financial records are now scheduled instead.
House prosecutors informed the Senate impeachment court on July 14 that they would no longer present Zuleika Lopez, the vice president’s former chief of staff, and Capt. Belinda Bello, a House legislative security official. Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan stated that the testimonies of National Bureau of Investigation witnesses had already established the authenticity of video clips from Duterte’s November 2024 online press conference.
The sixth day of proceedings is set for 2 p.m. on July 15. Unlike prior sessions, no witness testimony is planned. The court will instead hear oral arguments on requests for subpoenas covering bank records, Anti-Money Laundering Council records, and Bureau of Internal Revenue records of Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio.
Article IV of the impeachment charges alleges grave threats and inciting to sedition based on statements made by Duterte in October and November 2024. The prosecution said the decision reduces the number of witnesses for this article by two.
