The Senate impeachment court on Monday, September 21, continues its proceedings on Article II of the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte, which concerns alleged “Unexplained Wealth, False SALNs, and Continued Business Interests.”
The prosecution is set to present Securities and Exchange Commission Company Registration and Monitoring Department Director Gerardo del Rosario as its witness.
Meanwhile, Senator-Judge JV Ejercito said the senator-judges are expected to hold a caucus to discuss the disputed voting threshold for Duterte’s conviction or acquittal. The issue centers on whether the current requirement of 16 votes should be retained or recalculated based on senators participating in the trial.
Day 27 of Impeachment trial begins
The 27th day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial formally began on Monday, September 21.
Fifteen senators serving as senator-judges attended the proceedings.
Senator Risa Hontiveros led the opening prayer before the trial was called to order.
Prosecution drops CSC lawyer as witness on Day 27
The prosecution will no longer present Civil Service Commission lawyer Atty. Ariel Ronquillo as a witness in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial on Monday, September 21.
House prosecutor Rep. Terry Ridon said the move aims to expedite the proceedings following the testimonies of former Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang and Office of the Ombudsman lawyer Atty. Karen Batu.
Instead, Securities and Exchange Commission official Atty. Gerardo Del Rosario will be presented as the prosecution’s first witness for the day.
SEC lawyer takes oath as impeachment witness
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lawyer Gerardo Del Rosario takes his oath as a witness.
Prosecution presents Del Rosario’s testimony offer
Atty. Erwin Matib presents the prosecution’s offer of testimony for its witness, Atty. Gerardo Del Rosario.
Matib said Duterte and her husband, Atty. Manases Carpio, have shares of stock and interests that should have been declared in their Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs).
Defense objects to corporate documents
Defense lawyer Justin Nicol Gular objects to the identification and authentication of documents related to Pikimong Pikimong Philippines and JTC Group of Companies during the 27th day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
Gular argued that the documents were previously excluded from subpoena requests for bank and AMLC records because they were deemed irrelevant due to the lack of an established connection between Duterte and the corporations.
“They are irrelevant as there is no established connection between the respondent and these corporations,” Gular said.
Defense objects to SEC witness summary
Defense lawyer Justin Nicol Gular objected to the prosecution’s presentation of a summary prepared by Securities and Exchange Commission witness Atty. Gerardo Del Rosario during the 27th day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
Gular questioned the accuracy of the summary, saying the defense only received the document during Monday’s proceedings and that some information appeared to refer to the corporations’ authorized capital stock rather than Duterte’s shareholdings.
“This is again an attempt, and apologies to use the term, to condition the mind of the public,” Gular said.
Cayetano stresses fairness in impeachment trial
Senator-judge Alan Peter Cayetano raised concerns over the presentation of the summary prepared by SEC witness Atty. Gerardo Del Rosario during the 27th day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
“What is essential in this trial is fairness,” Cayetano said, warning that incorrect labels or potentially misleading information in the documents could prejudice the defense and the Vice President.
He added that the prosecution should correct any errors in the documents to ensure that the materials presented during the proceedings are accurate and not misleading.
SEC witness details Sara Duterte’s role in Metro City Chow Foods
Securities and Exchange Commission lawyer Gerardo Del Rosario testified about Vice President Sara Duterte’s participation in Metro City Chow Foods Corporation during the 27th day of her impeachment trial.
“Si VP Sara Duterte po ay lumalabas pong isa sa mga incorporator,” Del Rosario said, adding that Duterte was also a director when the corporation was established and had a subscription for which she made payments.
The testimony was presented as part of the prosecution’s evidence concerning Duterte’s alleged business interests.
Defense objects to prosecutor’s remarks on Sara Duterte’s board position
Defense lawyer Justin Nicol Gular objected to private prosecutor Erwin Matib’s remarks about Vice President Sara Duterte’s position as a director of Metro City Chow Foods Corporation during the 27th day of the impeachment trial.
When asked who elects members of the board, SEC witness Gerardo Del Rosario said directors are elected by the corporation’s shareholders. Matib then remarked, “Mukhang taon-taon po may eleksyon at laging nananalo si VP Sara sa pagiging director sa kumpanyang ito.”
Gular moved to strike the statement, arguing that conclusions of fact and law should come from the witness and not from the counsel.
Metro City Chow Foods had no declared dividends, SEC says
SEC director Gerardo Del Rosario testified that Metro City Chow Foods Corporation did not declare dividends from 2017 to 2019 despite reporting unappropriated or unrestricted retained earnings.
Del Rosario said the company also declared no dividends from 2020 to 2025 as it recorded negative retained earnings during the period.
Company documents submitted to the SEC identify Vice President Sara Duterte as an incorporator and member of the corporation’s board of directors.
The prosecution seeks to strike defense statements from the record.
The prosecution asked the Senate impeachment court to strike two statements made by the defense concerning the use of a summary of corporate records in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
The statements involved allegations of “misrepresentation” in the document and an attempt to “condition the minds of the public” through the figures presented.
Lead defense counsel Atty. Sheila Sison called the prosecution’s request “futile and meaningless,” suggesting that the prosecution should instead refer directly to the certified true copies of the documents presented by the witness.
Laughter breaks out during impeachment trial
A brief moment of laughter occurred during the impeachment trial after House private prosecutor Atty. Erwin Matib remarked that they were approaching the “exciting part” of their presentation on Monday afternoon, September 21.
“I hope your definition of exciting is the same as ours. Please continue, Atty. Erwin,” Presiding Officer Chiz Escudero responded.
VP Duterte has second-largest subscription in Metro City Chow Foods
Securities and Exchange Commission lawyer Gerardo Del Rosario testified that Vice President Sara Duterte had the second-largest subscription in Metro City Chow Foods Corporation, based on the company’s Articles of Incorporation.
According to Del Rosario, Duterte subscribed to 500 shares valued at a total of ₱50,000.
“Ayon din po sa Article 8, ang pangalawang may pinakamalaking subscription ay si Sara Z. Duterte na may 500 shares subscribed. At may total subscribe amount na 50,000 pesos,” Del Rosario said.
SEC witness clarifies dividend declarations in corporate records
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lawyer Gerardo Del Rosario confirmed that no dividend declarations were found in the corporate records of several companies he examined during Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
However, Del Rosario clarified that some companies had not submitted audited financial statements (AFS) to the SEC, leaving insufficient information to determine whether they had declared dividends.
Prosecution denies misrepresentation of corporate records
House private prosecutor Atty. Erwin Matib denied that the prosecution “misrepresented” corporate records in its presentation concerning dividend declarations of several companies during the 27th day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
The statement came after defense counsel Atty. Justin Nicol Gular objected to the presentation, describing it as “misleading,” “unreliable,” and “inaccurate,” and sought to have the visuals and related questions stricken from the record.
Presiding Officer Chiz Escudero, however, ruled that the illustrations or audiovisual presentation could not be stricken because they were not part of the official record and had not been submitted as evidence.
Escudero orders changes to defense counsel’s statements
Presiding Officer Chiz Escudero ordered defense counsel Atty. Justin Nicol Gular to replace the term “misrepresentation” with “inaccuracies” in his statement concerning the prosecution’s presentation of documents.
Escudero also directed Gular to revise the phrase “an attempt to condition the mind of the public” to “an attempt to make conclusions of fact to the public over these figures that will be flashed.”
The changes were made during the 27th day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
Impeachment trial adjourned
The 27th day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial formally adjourned on Monday, September 21.
Proceedings will resume on Tuesday, September 22, at 10 a.m.
