Trillanes to make witness stand debut as VP Duterte trial focuses on unexplained wealth

Vice President Sara Duterte (left), former senator Antonio Trillanes IV (MANILA BULLETIN)

Duterte family nemesis Antonio Trillanes IV is expected to testify in Vice President Sara Duterte’s Senate impeachment trial next week, or when the House prosecution panel begins presenting evidence on article II or the respondent’s alleged unexplained wealth.

Thus, bared House Deputy Speaker La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega V and solon-prosecutor Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua in a press conference Wednesday, Sept. 9.

“Trillanes is coming,” Ortega said, as he tried to build anticipation for the upcoming hearings of the impeachment court.

He reckoned that the former senator’s long involvement in examining the Duterte family’s finances would make his testimony important to the prosecution’s case.

“So as a witness siguro makikita din natin na it will be a very vital part of this article” (So as a witness, we will likely see that it will be a very vital part of this article), Ortega said.

He described the upcoming presentation as potentially one of the strongest portions of the prosecution’s case.

Chua said lawmakers had previously cross-checked some of the financial documents presented by Trillanes against transactions flagged in Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) records.

The Manila solon said Trillanes had raised questions about the Duterte family’s finances long before the impeachment trial and had appeared as a resource person before the House Committee on Justice.

During a justice panel hearing on April 22, AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura confirmed that 18 selected entries from Trillanes’ materials matched transactions in AMLC reports in terms of dates and amounts. These findings served as part of the basis of the articles of impeachment.

The prosecutors handling article II–Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon and Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno–would determine the specific testimony they need from him.

“Yes, mahalaga po yung magiging testimony ni Senator Trillanes” (Yes, Senator Trillanes’ testimony will be important), Chua said.

The prosecution is set to begin its article II presentation on Sept. 14 after completing its presentation on the alleged misuse of confidential funds under article I.

Other witnesses

Chua said the prosecution initially expects around 10 witnesses, excluding bank representatives, although the lineup could still be reduced.

Other potential witnesses include officials or authorized representatives from the Office of the Ombudsman, AMLC, Bureau of Internal Revenue and Securities and Exchange Commission. For the presentation on statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs), Chua identified Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla or his representative as a possible witness.

The prosecution is also considering as many as 15 bank representatives, which could bring the potential number of witnesses to around 25. Chua said prosecutors may seek stipulations on the authenticity and other aspects of bank records to shorten the presentation.

“Dahil nga sa volume ng bank record, we will explore that option to stipulate para mas mapabilis” (Because of the volume of the bank records, we will explore the option of stipulating on them to speed things up), he said.

Article II accuses Duterte of betrayal of public trust for allegedly accumulating wealth disproportionate to her lawful income and failing to fully and truthfully disclose her and her spouse’s assets and liabilities in their SALNs.

The prosecution has cited Duterte’s SALNs from 2019 to 2024, including her 2024 declaration of around P88.5 million in net worth and zero cash on hand or in banks.

The prosecution has also printed to an AMLC report covering 663 transactions involving Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, with an aggregate value of about P6.77 billion. Of the total, about P3.77 billion was linked to Duterte and P2.99 billion to Carpio.

House prosecutors have since obtained subpoenaed bank and tax records involving Duterte, Carpio and companies linked to them. These records are expected to be examined alongside the SALNs and AMLC information as the prosecution builds its article II case.

The prosecution is preparing more than 1,800 bank, tax and other financial documents, and has served Duterte’s defense with 104 requests for admission, including those concerning the authenticity of subpoenaed bank records and ownership of accounts identified in them. — Ellson Quismorio