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No Witnesses Yet: Sara Impeachment Trial To Open With Key Motions
Photo credit: House of Representatives of the Philippines
The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte will begin on July 6 with procedural matters and opening statements taking center stage, while the presentation of witnesses and evidence is expected to start on the second day of proceedings.
House lead prosecutor Joel Chua said the Senate impeachment court is expected to first rule on several pending motions before moving forward with the trial proper.
“Unang una, ineexpect natin ‘yung mga motion namin magkaroon ng ruling. Tapos at least ‘yung presiding officer malaman na rin natin kung sino talaga, ma-settle na natin. Tapos magkakaroon ng opening statement from both sides. Wala pang presentation ng mga witness, formalities muna. So sa second day, doon pa lang magsisimula,” Chua said during an interview on the Insiders Podcast.
Among the motions awaiting resolution is the prosecution's request to allow both public and private lawyers to actively participate in the impeachment proceedings. According to Chua, the defense has opposed the proposal, arguing that only public prosecutors should appear before the impeachment court.
“Isa ‘yan as motion namin, to allow one public and one private [prosecutor]. Pero ayaw nila, inoobjectan nila ngayon. Gusto nila as much as possible public lang, syempre lamang sila doon,” Chua said, adding that previous impeachment cases have allowed both public and private prosecutors to participate.
Another major issue involves a sealed box from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) containing tax records reportedly linked to the vice president and her husband. While the defense no longer opposes opening the box, it wants the process conducted during an executive session rather than in public.
“Pagdating naman sa trial mismo, pwede naman nila objectan kung sa tingin nila hindi [dapat buksan]. Although sa kanilang comment naman, agree naman na sila na pabuksan ‘yung box. Kaya lang may subject to certain conditions. Kailangan during executive session,” Chua explained.
Chua clarified that these motions remained unresolved during the pre-trial conference because the clerk of court only handled the receiving and marking of evidence and had no authority to decide on legal issues.
“Well in fairness to the clerk of court, hindi naman siya talaga pupwedeng magdecide. Receiver lang siya,” he said.
For now, Chua said the prosecution would rather wait for the impeachment court's ruling before commenting further on whether the BIR records should ultimately be unsealed.
“Kaya nga ito naman ayaw ko namang mag-comment kasi antayin na lang natin ‘yung desisyon. Ayaw ko naman pangunahan ‘yung magiging desisyon ng impeachment court,” he added.
The prosecution has also requested that both English and Filipino be officially allowed during the proceedings, particularly during witness examinations, to make the trial easier for the public to follow.
“So ‘yan ang ilan sa mga sinubmit natin, plus ‘yung use of Filipino tsaka ng English," Chua said, noting that the move aims to make the proceedings more understandable for ordinary Filipinos.
Chua also revealed that the five-day pre-trial conference took longer than expected after the defense insisted on individually marking every document presented as evidence instead of allowing grouped markings.
“Kaya medyo tumagal ‘yan kasi yung defense gusto nila separate marking,” he said.
He explained that each document had to be compared, marked, and signed by the defense, prosecution, and clerk of court, significantly extending the process.
“Unang una, may comparison tapos ‘pag nagcomparison na, magkakaroon ng markahan, pagka nagkamarkahan pipirmahan pa ‘yan ng defense, pipirmahan ng prosecution, pipirmahan ng clerk of court," Chua said.
With around 4,000 documents—mostly acknowledgment receipts related to confidential fund transactions—requiring individual handling, Chua said the workload effectively doubled.
“Imbis na five minutes o ano lang, madodoble ‘yung time eh. We are talking here of ano 4,000 documents. So biglang ‘yung 4,000 naging 8,000,” he added.
The impeachment complaint centers on allegations involving the misuse of confidential funds and unexplained wealth, cases that prosecutors say require extensive documentary evidence.
The Senate impeachment court has allotted a 92-day schedule for the trial, which is expected to run for about three months once proceedings formally begin on July 6.
House lead prosecutor Joel Chua said the Senate impeachment court is expected to first rule on several pending motions before moving forward with the trial proper.
“Unang una, ineexpect natin ‘yung mga motion namin magkaroon ng ruling. Tapos at least ‘yung presiding officer malaman na rin natin kung sino talaga, ma-settle na natin. Tapos magkakaroon ng opening statement from both sides. Wala pang presentation ng mga witness, formalities muna. So sa second day, doon pa lang magsisimula,” Chua said during an interview on the Insiders Podcast.
Among the motions awaiting resolution is the prosecution's request to allow both public and private lawyers to actively participate in the impeachment proceedings. According to Chua, the defense has opposed the proposal, arguing that only public prosecutors should appear before the impeachment court.
“Isa ‘yan as motion namin, to allow one public and one private [prosecutor]. Pero ayaw nila, inoobjectan nila ngayon. Gusto nila as much as possible public lang, syempre lamang sila doon,” Chua said, adding that previous impeachment cases have allowed both public and private prosecutors to participate.
Another major issue involves a sealed box from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) containing tax records reportedly linked to the vice president and her husband. While the defense no longer opposes opening the box, it wants the process conducted during an executive session rather than in public.
“Pagdating naman sa trial mismo, pwede naman nila objectan kung sa tingin nila hindi [dapat buksan]. Although sa kanilang comment naman, agree naman na sila na pabuksan ‘yung box. Kaya lang may subject to certain conditions. Kailangan during executive session,” Chua explained.
Chua clarified that these motions remained unresolved during the pre-trial conference because the clerk of court only handled the receiving and marking of evidence and had no authority to decide on legal issues.
“Well in fairness to the clerk of court, hindi naman siya talaga pupwedeng magdecide. Receiver lang siya,” he said.
For now, Chua said the prosecution would rather wait for the impeachment court's ruling before commenting further on whether the BIR records should ultimately be unsealed.
“Kaya nga ito naman ayaw ko namang mag-comment kasi antayin na lang natin ‘yung desisyon. Ayaw ko naman pangunahan ‘yung magiging desisyon ng impeachment court,” he added.
The prosecution has also requested that both English and Filipino be officially allowed during the proceedings, particularly during witness examinations, to make the trial easier for the public to follow.
“So ‘yan ang ilan sa mga sinubmit natin, plus ‘yung use of Filipino tsaka ng English," Chua said, noting that the move aims to make the proceedings more understandable for ordinary Filipinos.
Chua also revealed that the five-day pre-trial conference took longer than expected after the defense insisted on individually marking every document presented as evidence instead of allowing grouped markings.
“Kaya medyo tumagal ‘yan kasi yung defense gusto nila separate marking,” he said.
He explained that each document had to be compared, marked, and signed by the defense, prosecution, and clerk of court, significantly extending the process.
“Unang una, may comparison tapos ‘pag nagcomparison na, magkakaroon ng markahan, pagka nagkamarkahan pipirmahan pa ‘yan ng defense, pipirmahan ng prosecution, pipirmahan ng clerk of court," Chua said.
With around 4,000 documents—mostly acknowledgment receipts related to confidential fund transactions—requiring individual handling, Chua said the workload effectively doubled.
“Imbis na five minutes o ano lang, madodoble ‘yung time eh. We are talking here of ano 4,000 documents. So biglang ‘yung 4,000 naging 8,000,” he added.
The impeachment complaint centers on allegations involving the misuse of confidential funds and unexplained wealth, cases that prosecutors say require extensive documentary evidence.
The Senate impeachment court has allotted a 92-day schedule for the trial, which is expected to run for about three months once proceedings formally begin on July 6.
Jul 3, 2026
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