Sara defense pares down witness lineup, has 8 to 10 left in impeach trial

The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte is narrowing its witness presentation in the Senate impeachment trial, with only eight to 10 witnesses left to testify as it seeks to rebut allegations of unexplained wealth and undisclosed business interests.

Defense spokesperson and counsel Michael Wesley Poa said Thursday the team was trying to shorten its presentation by focusing on the remaining issues it needs to address under Article II, the sole surviving impeachment charge against Duterte.

“We will only be presenting around eight to 10 witnesses left for the whole article,” Poa told reporters at the Senate.

Poa said the defense was also assessing the length of its witnesses' testimonies to avoid having their examinations interrupted by the Senate's scheduled break for budget deliberations.

“Maawala yung momentum,” he said, explaining that a prolonged interruption could affect how senator-judges and the public appreciate the evidence being presented.

The defense has yet to determine whether it could finish presenting its evidence before Christmas, as the timeline would depend on the length of direct and cross-examinations, possible redirect and recross-examinations, and questions from senator-judges.

Poa said the team had already informed the presiding officer of its remaining witness lineup and was prepared to further shorten its presentation if it could establish the points it needed to make.

“As long as we are able to make the points we want to make, to provide the vice president with the best defense we can provide her, then we should be okay with that,” he said.

The defense had initially submitted a list of 25 prospective witnesses for the opening week of its presentation, including bankers, accountants, corporate representatives and lawyers. The list was subsequently adjusted following the withdrawal or non-appearance of some prospective witnesses.

Despite the reduced witness lineup, Poa said the defense still had four to five points to address in the prosecution's forensic accounting report, although some had already been covered by witnesses presented this week.

The report, prepared by forensic accounting expert Alexander Cabrera, estimated that Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, had P817.87 million in allegedly unexplained wealth and undeclared assets from 2022 to 2025. Cabrera said the amount could reach P1.5 billion under a broader computation.