The Supreme Court’s dismissal of Vice President Sara Duterte’s petition to nullify the House of Representatives’ impeachment proceedings against her confirms that the role of the House is done and that the Senate now has the sole authority over the trial. In a statement, Senate Impeachment...
One of the key legal issues raised during the August 6 impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte was the defense 's opposition to the prosecution 's request for the Senate impeachment court to take judicial notice of the House of Representatives ' committee hearings and...
Senate Impeachment Court presiding officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Wednesday, August 5, ordered the defense panel of Vice President Sara Duterte to again review the documents submitted by the House prosecution panel pertaining to her alleged misuse of confidential funds. This,...
Dismissing allegations of wrongdoing or conflict of interest, the defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday, Aug. 5, maintained that a meeting between officials of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Commission on Audit (COA) was lawful and intended solely to clarify audit...
Senate Impeachment Court presiding officer Francis "Chiz" Escudero on Wednesday, August 5, ruled that there is no conflict of interest on the part of Michael Poa, serving as defense counsel for Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial despite his participation in a 2023 meeting with the...
Stressing that the impeachment tribunal itself had imposed clear limitations on its rulings, the defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday, Aug. 5, said it would comply with the decisions of the Senate impeachment court despite objecting to several motions during the proceedings....
There is a presumption that Vice President Sara Duterte used the confidential and intelligence funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) for her personal benefit because she failed to comply with state auditing rules, a Commission on Audit (COA) auditor...
The Commission on Audit (COA) 's rules governing the audit of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) should be updated and expanded to ensure greater accountability, Senator-Judge Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said Wednesday, Aug. 5. In Day 13 of the impeachment trial of Vice President...
In the 10 years that he audited over 30 government agencies’ confidential and intelligence fund expenses, Commission on Audit (COA) auditor Roderick Wamil said it was only during Vice President Sara Duterte’s time that he saw a department won’t submit official receipts, relying only on the...
Recognizing that both the prosecution and the defense have been given equal opportunities to present their arguments, the defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday, Aug. 4, said the Senate impeachment court has been fair in handling the proceedings. Defense spokesperson Atty. Michael...
The Senate Impeachment Court, a usually divided body, has united to congratulate tennis star Alex Eala after she victoriously became the first Filipino player to win a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 500 singles title. Senate Impeachment Court presiding officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero...
Stressing that subpoenaed documents are not automatically admissible as evidence, the defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, August 3, said thousands of acknowledgment receipts presented in the impeachment trial remain subject to legal scrutiny. Defense spokesperson and lawyer...