The Senate impeachment court has deferred action on the request of House prosecutors to subpoena the bank and tax records of Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial, saying it will rule on the matter on Monday, July 20. Impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero said the senator-judges decided on the postponement in a...
Author: Christine O. Avendaño (Christine Avendaño)
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House prosecutors drop VP chief of staff, another as impeachment trial witnesses
House prosecutors have decided to forego presenting Zuleika Lopez, chief of staff of the Office of the Vice President, and another witness on Wednesday’s impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan told the Senate impeachment court on Tuesday that the prosecution panel deemed “totally unnecessary” the testimonies of Lopez and Capt....
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VP threats ‘serious, true, real,’ says NBI witness
The grave threats made by Vice President Sara Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House speaker Martin Romualdez in an online news conference on Nov. 23, 2024, were “serious, true, and real” as well as “alarming,” according to a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) executive. Lawyer Jeremy Lotoc, who...
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Video clips showing VP making threats presented in impeachment trial
House prosecutors presented on Wednesday preserved and authenticated video clips where Vice President Sara Duterte threatened to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and even hire someone to kill him, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House speaker Martin Romualdez as an act of revenge should she end up dead. On Day 2 of the impeachment...
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Senate impeachment court begins Veep’s trial with Escudero as presiding officer
The Senate convened as an impeachment court on Monday and began the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte with Sen. Francis Escudero elected as presiding officer. Led by Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, 21 senators dressed in red robes attended Day 1 of the scheduled 92 trial days. Duterte was not present; her lawyers said she was...
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Ombudsman files plunder and bribery charges against Marcoleta and 3 others
Saying it cannot just look away, the Office of the Ombudsman on Friday filed a nonbailable plunder case against Sen. Rodante Marcoleta at the Sandiganbayan over the ₱75 million in undeclared campaign contributions he received for the 2025 senatorial elections. Marcoleta was also charged with three counts of violating Presidential Decree No. 46, which prohibits...
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Gatchalian elected Senate president during special session of Congress
The new majority in the Senate solidified its grip on Wednesday after forming a 13-member bloc that elected Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate president. The vote was unanimous for Gatchalian, who on June 3 was elected Senate president pro tempore by the then 12-member bloc. This time he was voted president of the chamber during the...
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Joint testimony of 18 ex-bodyguards of Co mostly hearsay, says NBI
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has found that the joint testimony of 18 former bodyguards of fugitive and former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, alleging they delivered billions of pesos in flood control funds to lawmakers, has “no probative value,” as it was mostly hearsay and a “coordinated narrative.” “The evidence is weak....
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New majority elects Sherwin Gatchalian as acting Senate president
A new Senate majority unexpectedly emerged on Wednesday, with 12 senators electing Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate president pro tempore and acting Senate president, ending the chaotic three-week leadership of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano. The change occurred after the Cayetano bloc’s Sen. Francis Escudero showed up and joined the 11-member minority on the last session day...
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Sotto: Any Senate leadership change should occur before Congress adjourns next week
Any change in the two-week-old, controversy-plagued Senate presidency of Alan Peter Cayetano should happen in the last three session days next week, before Congress goes into sine die adjournment on June 6. And with Congress out, the Senate leadership becomes even more crucial as the chamber is set to embark on one of its important roles:...