Highlights: Day 25 of Sara Duterte impeachment trial | Sept. 15, 2026

MANILA, Philippines – On Day 25 of the impeachment trial, an Ombudsman records officer testified that VP Sara Duterte declared no cash on hand or in bank from 2019 to 2025, as prosecutors used her own Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) to allege unexplained wealth.

Tuesday’s trial focused on Duterte’s SALNS, with the prosecution calling Ombudsman Records Division officer-in-charge lawyer Karen Batu as its second witness for Article II of the impeachment complaint. 

READ: Highlights: Day 24 of Sara Duterte impeachment trial: Sept. 14, 2026

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Batu testified that Duterte’s declared net worth rose by P91.4 million, or 1,260.7 percent, from 2007 to 2025, covering her time as Davao City vice mayor and mayor through her current term as vice president. ^[5]

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Among the most pointed disclosures from Batu’s testimony was that Duterte did not declare any cash on hand and in bank from 2019 to 2025 in her SALNs. 

The prosecution also noted that while Duterte listed several business interests from 2007 to 2012 and from 2016 to 2025, she did not declare any acquisition costs for those interests, though Presiding Officer Francis Escudero clarified that the SALN form itself does not have a section for such costs. 

Prosecutor Rep. Terry Ridon said after the session that the SALNs serve as the reference point against which tax, bank, Anti-Money Laundering Council, Securities and Exchange Commission, BIR, and Philippine National Police Firearms Division records will subsequently be tested. 

The defense objected to the prosecution’s use of SALNs filed before Duterte’s vice presidency, arguing they predated her status as an impeachable officer.

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Escudero overruled the objection, ruling that earlier SALNs are necessary to establish a baseline for measuring changes in Duterte’s declared wealth during her term, and that admitting them does not add new charges against her. 

Senator-judge Lito Lapid also interjected during the proceedings to ask whether it was true that no public official submits a truthful SALN, a question that drew attention during the court session.

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Two House lawmakers who endorsed the fourth impeachment complaint against Duterte, Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. and Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V, said at a press briefing that if the defense is seeking witnesses with personal knowledge of the VP’s financial transactions, the answer is straightforward: let Duterte herself take the stand.

They also called out the demeanor of the defense counsel, saying the lawyer on duty Monday was rude while the one on Tuesday was evasive during cross-examination. 

Private prosecutor James Bryan Ibrahim Alih, a senior associate of the Pecabar law firm who volunteered pro bono to assist the House prosecution panel, led the direct examination of Batu and presented 10 offers of proof covering evidence that traces the growth of Duterte and her husband’s declared net worth to nearly P98.7 million by 2025. /dp

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1. Solons to defense: If you want personal knowledge, let Duterte appear
2. VP Duterte’s SALNs to be matched vs tax, bank, AMLC docs – Ridon
3. Rude yesterday, evasive today: Solons hit Duterte lawyers’ attitude
4. Lapid questions SALN’s accuracy during Sara Duterte impeachment trial
5. Sara Duterte’s net worth rose by P91.4M or 1,260% – witness
6. Prosecution targets VP Sara’s cash disclosures through her own SALNs
7. Witness: Duterte did not declare cash on hand, in bank from 2019 to 2025
8. WATCH: Escudero explains why pre-VP SALNs are included
9. SALN form, business acquisition costs tackled in impeachment trial
10. Escudero OKs showing of VP Duterte’s SALNs from 2007: For baseline only
11. Sara Duterte impeachment trial: Who is lawyer James Bryan Ibrahim Alih?
12. LIVE UPDATES: Sara Duterte impeachment trial | Sept. 15, 2026

Editor’s note: This update was generated with the aid of artificial intelligence based on Inquirer.net, Philippine Daily Inquirer and Cebu Daily News articles and reviewed by a human editor.