[Updated June 25, 2026, 7:34 p.m.]
MANILA, Philippines — The impeachment pretrial of Vice President Sara Duterte finished on its fifth day on Thursday.
During the pretrial conference, which began on June 18, the House prosecution panel, Duterte’s defense team, and the impeachment clerk of court marked evidence and identified witnesses for the impeachment trial.
They also stipulated facts, and settled disputes on the trial proper.
READ: Duterte impeachment: More teams, pretrial hours granted
On the fourth day of the pretrial, the House prosecution requested to open the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) box, supposedly containing the tax records of the vice president.
This is to premark its contents, which were not unveiled during the House Committee on Justice’s hearings on the impeachment.
However, according to the House prosecution lead counsel Rep. Gerville Luistro, the defense objected to the opening and marking of the box itself.
“The defense registered their vehement objection to the opening [of the box]. They invoked due process even if there was not rights violated, because this is just a marking of exhibit,” Luistro shared.
“That is why when we heard their objection to the opening of the sealed box, we just contained ourselves with the marking of the sealed box, which they opposed as well,” she added.
Rep. Joel Chua, also a member of the prosecution, criticized the opposition of the defense to the unsealing of the BIR box, saying: “If the conscience is clear why not come out with the evidence.”
Still, the defense has until Friday to reply to the prosecution’s manifestations before the impeachment court decides on the disputes.
The defense is set to submit its comment on the following manifestations:
- Opening of the BIR box
- Specifying the purpose behind the presentation of exhibits
- Authorize private and public prosecutors to examine the same witnesses
- Use of Filipino and English as the official language of the trial
- Three-day lead time advise the opposite team of ‘surprise witnesses’
On the first day of the pretrial, all parties were able to finish tackling impeachment Articles III and IV, pertaining to Duterte’s alleged bribery to Department of Education officials, and the vice president’s threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., first lady Liza Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The second to the last day was dedicated to marking the documents for Articles I and II, which refers to the vice president’s supposed misuse of confidential funds and unexplained wealth, respectively. /mr
