[Rappler’s Best] Houston, we’ve had a problem here

SONNY TRILLANES. File photo shows civil society group The Silent Majority along with former senator Antonio Trillanes file plunder and graft charges against Vice President Sara Duterte before the Office of the Ombudsman on January 21, 2026.

Jire Carreon/Rappler

It’s not as if Sonny Trillanes was pulling things from thin air. And it’s not as if anyone could derail him from his single resolve — rightly or wrongly — to expose and bring down the Dutertes.

AT A GLANCE

• Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV was unexpectedly dropped as a witness in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, despite his previous testimony linking the Duterte family to unexplained wealth.
• Trillanes claimed that the prosecution's decision to exclude him was questionable, as he had been subpoenaed but was the only one not called to testify, raising concerns about the court's authority.
• The impeachment trial is entering a critical phase, with the prosecution presenting evidence against the Vice President for alleged violations of the Constitution and public trust due to unexplained wealth.

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And, just like that, the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte left the courtroom for a moment and turned to the angry podium of former senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV. He had been preparing and raring for his testimony only to be dropped by the prosecution at the last minute on Thursday, October 1. 

The mutineer-turned-politician, after all, was the first to blow the whistle on the Dutertes’ alleged bank accounts a decade ago, when very few dared to look or listen. That exposé took on a life of its own.

• Do you remember this scene from 2024, when former president Rodrigo Duterte faced House investigators three seats apart from Trillanes, who repeated his accusations that the “Duterte crime family” had fat bank accounts and cited an investigation into it as a reason a deputy ombudsman was sacked? Duterte lost his cool, grabbed the microphone, and gestured to throw it at his nemesis. Watch it here.
• Six months ago, Trillanes testified at the House to reiterate his claims, adding that the Vice President received payouts from alleged drug lord Sammy Uy — transactions which the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) later confirmed.
• The House probe uncovered that Trillanes’ records of the Dutertes’ bank accounts matched what the AMLC had.

So it seemed logical that the prosecution in the impeachment trial would call him to testify in their charge that the Vice President had accumulated unexplained wealth. He was listed as a witness and even appeared at the Senate on Tuesday, September 29, when Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte testified.

But, on the same day, impeachment court presiding officer Senator Chiz Escudero made his stand clear.

• The court was not going to issue a subpoena to Trillanes, though nothing should stop the prosecution from calling him as a witness “voluntarily.”
• Escudero said they had taken judicial notice of Trillanes’ previous testimony at the House anyway, adding in so many words that hearing it again would be a waste of time.
• Lead prosecutor Jinky Luistro heeded Escudero’s advice the following day and dropped Trillanes as a witness. “We seek the kind indulgence of the honorable impeachment court for the belated final position on this particular concern,” she said. At about the same time, Trillanes issued a statement saying he had withdrawn as a witness. Which is which? 
• As Dwight de Leon wrote, “it doesn’t take a genius reporter to notice the disarray surrounding the surprise disclosure” of Luistro in open court. 
• Trillanes provided clarity in his press conference on Friday, October 2. “It’s this simple: The prosecution requested that certain people be subpoenaed. My name was on the list. The subpoenas came back, and I was the only one missing. Does the impeachment court have that kind of power? Does the presiding officer have the power to say, ‘Not this one yet’? That is the question. They don’t have that power. Because this is the prosecution’s strategy.”
• No love lost there between Escudero and Trillanes; it’s no secret to senators the behind-the-scenes role that Trillanes played in last year’s moves to oust Escudero as Senate president in the aftermath of the flood control scandal.

Lawyer Lulu Reyes, a regular panelist at Rappler’s impeachment coverage, argued that not presenting Trillanes made sense legally, since he had no direct knowledge of the supposed transactions and would be vulnerable to questions about how he got them. Watch it here.

But cut the man some slack. It’s not as if he was pulling things from thin air. And it’s not as if anyone could derail him from his single resolve — rightly or wrongly — to expose and bring down the Dutertes. Thus, on Friday, outside the impeachment court, he made five explosive allegations against the Dutertes.

Indeed, the Vice President’s trial enters its probably most critical week this week as the prosecution presents evidence in the final of the four articles of impeachment lodged against her: that she committed culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayed public trust due to unexplained wealth.

The impeachment court begins its planned daily weekday trials this week and these will last until October 15. After that, the trial will be suspended to give way to the Senate’s legislative tasks, until its resumption on November 18. Check the latest revised calendar here, which is subject to change, of course.

At least it got one thing out of the way, with the Supreme Court dismissing petitions against its decision to adjust the voting threshold for Duterte’s conviction. Verdict may be out by as early as December 16, according to the court spokesperson.

But if you think you know how this trial will end, think again.

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– Rappler.com

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