MANILA, Philippines — The prosecution panel for Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial has withdrawn more witnesses for Article IV or the allegation of grave threats, including the sheriff that Duterte previously assaulted, and reporters who witnessed her online press briefing.
During the trial on Wednesday at the Senate, lead public prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said they will no longer call the following six individuals to the witness stand:
- Representatives from Philippine National Police (PNP) Firearms and Explosives office
- Reuters reporter Mikhail Flores
- Rappler reporter Bonz Magsambol
- Former Sheriff Abe Andres
- Family member of a victim of threats
- A psychiatrist
“Considering that these five witnesses are included in our pre-trial order, your Honor, we respectfully withdraw their names among the prosecution’s witnesses for Article IV – threat,” Luistro said.
The lawmaker said this means that the last witness of the prosecution for Article IV will be National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag.
“This withdrawal, your Honor, renders Atty. Melvin Matibag, the NBI director, as our last witness for threats, who will be testifying this coming Tuesday,” she added.
This is not the first time that the prosecution withdrew its witnesses.
On Tuesday, counsel for prosecution Lorna Kapunan announced that they will no longer present Office of the Vice President (OVP) Chief-of-Staff and Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez as a witness for the impeachment trial, as her testimony will only be unnecessary and a surplus.
Along with Lopez, Kapunan said they will no longer call Capt. Belinda Bello of the House Legislative Security Bureau to the witness stand, as it will be redundant to the examinations of two NBI officials, Senior Agent John Mark Calilung and Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc.
Bello is an official of the House Legislative Security Bureau, involved in the security matters when Duterte was in the House in November 2024 — the same time the vice president held a press briefing where she made the alleged threats against ranking officials.
Lopez, meanwhile, witnessed Duterte’s alleged threats made while she was detained at the House detention facility.
The prosecution panel originally intended to present Lopez as a hostile witness, as she is a key figure on the discussions for Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment — or the charge of betraying public trust after Duterte supposedly made grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
For one, it was in the context of Lopez’s detention at the House premises last November 2024 — after she participated at the hearing of the House committee on good government and public accountability — that Duterte addressed the media in an online briefing.
Lopez was cited for contempt for supposedly committing undue interference during the panel’s investigation of the alleged confidential fund misuse within Duterte’s offices.
As she was infuriated over Lopez’s detention and subsequent attempts to transfer her, Duterte badmouthed the Marcos couple and Romualdez.
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At one point, Duterte was asked if she is concerned about her security; she replied by urging people not to worry since she had contracted an assassin to kill the three if she herself would get killed. /apl
