MANILA, Philippines — The prosecution panel in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial listed 57 witnesses in its pretrial brief, including Office of the Vice President (OVP) chief of staff Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez and alleged confidential fund recipient Mary Grace Piattos, to support the charges against the vice president.
Copies of the prosecution’s pretrial brief obtained by reporters on Thursday showed that 27 of the witnesses were identified for Article I of the Articles of Impeachment, which concerns the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
The prosecution said Lopez would testify on the alleged misuse and misappropriation of confidential funds, while Piattos would testify regarding her alleged receipt of confidential funds.
The prosecution also listed former Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, who is expected to testify on the Office of the Vice President’s and Department of Education’s requests for confidential funds and the release of those allocations.
Edward Fajarda was listed to testify on the withdrawal, turnover, liquidation and control of the Department of Education’s confidential funds.
Col. Raymund Dante Lachica and Lt. Col. Dennis Nolasco were identified to testify on the receipt and utilization of confidential funds.
Lawyer Reynold Munsayac was listed to testify on allegations made by Madriaga regarding the delivery of OVP confidential funds at Nommu Basho.
Lt. Col. Manaros Boransing II, Lt. Col. Magtangol Panopio, Lt. Col. Carlos Sangdaan Jr., Maj. Gen. Adonis Bajao and representatives of the Armed Forces of the Philippines were also included as witnesses. The prosecution said they would testify that Youth Leadership Summit and Information-Education Campaign activities were funded by the Philippine Army and local government units, and that the Department of Education did not use confidential funds for those programs.
The prosecution also named Duterte’s impeachment lawyer, Michael Poa, as a witness. According to the pretrial brief, Poa may testify on the Department of Education’s responses to Commission on Audit findings and on his procurement and submission of supporting documents despite allegedly having no personal knowledge of confidential fund expenditures.
Most of the witnesses listed for Article I previously appeared before the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability during its investigation into the alleged misuse of confidential funds by Duterte’s offices in the 19th Congress.
During those hearings, former Antipolo representative Romeo Acop questioned acknowledgment receipts signed by a person identified as Mary Grace Piattos after noting that the name resembled that of a restaurant and a potato chip brand.
Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong later presented two acknowledgment receipts—one from the OVP and another from the Department of Education—that were both received by a person identified as Kokoy Villamin but bore different signatures and handwriting.
The Philippine Statistics Authority later informed the House committee that it found no birth, marriage or death records for Piattos and Villamin.
Lopez also testified before the House committee on Nov. 20, 2024. During the hearing, former ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro moved to cite her in contempt after lawmakers accused her of interfering with the committee’s investigation.
Lawmakers questioned a letter Lopez sent to the Commission on Audit asking the agency to refrain from providing its audit observations on the OVP’s confidential fund expenditures to the House panel. Castro said the request could have prevented lawmakers from examining the transactions.
Committee members also questioned Lopez after she said she was not aware of certain matters involving the OVP despite serving as Duterte’s chief of staff.
Lopez’s subsequent arrest prompted Duterte to go to the House of Representatives, where she stayed in the office of her brother, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte. During an online press briefing from the office, Duterte criticized President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
During the same briefing, Duterte said she had contracted an assassin who would target Marcos, Araneta-Marcos and Romualdez if she were killed.
The prosecution cited the remarks in Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment, which accuses Duterte of threatening high-ranking government officials.
