Sara Duterte impeachment trial Day 41: Contempt warning, salary differential, witness's accounting firm ties

Senate impeachment court Presiding Officer Francis Escudero opened the 41st day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte by warning witnesses against lying or mocking the court, saying they could be held in contempt.

This came a day after defense witness and Davao City Assessor James Adalin was seen smiling during his testimony and telling private prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa Jr. that the latter's question about his trip to China was irrelevant.

Engineer John Kenneth Enumerables, assessor of the Island Garden City of Samal, then testified that he was unsure whether the property in Samal acquired by Duterte's husband, Manases Carpio, in 2013 was the same property declared in their joint Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) from 2015 onward.

Enumerables said he could not confirm this because the SALN did not indicate the property's Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT).

Senator-judges also reminded him to clarify the records concerning the property's location, as land titles in the area indicate Barangay Matanos while its tax declaration and other documents identify it as Barangay San Isidro.

Before the noon break, the defense and prosecution panels raised concerns over possible violations of the sub judice rule.

Lead defense counsel Sheila Sison said Tolosa's statements did not constitute fair commentary, while Tolosa argued that statements made by the Vice President against the prosecution and the impeachment court not only violated the sub judice rule but also unfairly attacked the integrity of the impeachment proceedings.

Davao City Accountant Vingelin Bajan testified that Duterte received P64,194.72 from the Davao City government in January 2023 as payment for salary differentials dating back to her previous terms as city mayor.

Bajan confirmed a summary of payroll records showing that Duterte was entitled to P64,194.72 in salary differentials for 2020 and 2021, when she was still Davao City mayor.

The payout was made only in January 2023 because the supporting documents were completed only at that time, Bahan said.

Bajan, however, was unable to immediately confirm her previous ties to an accounting firm associated with businesses linked to the Vice President and her husband, even after being confronted with official documents bearing her signature.

Private prosecutor Mae Divinagracia said Bajan was formerly a partner at Ampil, Elises, Ciudadano & Co., CPAs, citing Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) records, including the firm's 2003 Articles of Partnership, which bore her signature as a partner.

Divinagracia asked Bajan to confirm her signature in the SEC records, but the witness initially could not provide an answer.

Bajan repeatedly said she could not recall details about her former employment but later admitted that she had indeed been a partner at the firm. She said she left in 2015 for personal reasons after further questioning from Divinagracia and the senator-judges.

The atmosphere turned lighter when Divinagracia asked Bajan about her December 2025 trip to China. The witness said it was a reward for herself and her friends after putting in long hours at work.

The hearing, however, turned serious again when Divinagracia pointed out that the P64,194.72 salary differential Duterte received from the Davao City government in 2023 was not reflected in the Vice President's income tax return for the following year.

Divinagracia cited Duterte's 2024 annual income tax return, which did not indicate any compensation received from either the Davao City government or the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

Bajan said she could not confirm the figures reflected in the Vice President's income tax return.

Meanwhile, defense spokesperson and lawyer Michael Poa said the defense was surprised to learn about Bajan's links to the accounting firm associated with businesses linked to the Vice President and her husband.

Poa also maintained that the defense did not prepare its witnesses for their testimonies.

In a press conference after the hearing, Tolosa said the prosecution would ask the impeachment court to sanction Duterte and her spokesperson, lawyer Paolo Panelo, over statements that allegedly violated the sub judice rule, including remarks questioning the integrity of the court.

“We've heard that from the Vice President time and again, as well as her spokesperson attacking their integrity, attacking their motives, saying the impeachment proceedings have been marred by bending the law, saying that senators are manipulating the proceedings, and that the budget is being used to control the senators. These [statements] touched not just the merits of the case but also attack the integrity of the court,” Tolosa said.

Ahead of the 41st day of the impeachment trial, Escudero expressed hope that the proceedings would be completed within the year.

Escudero, however, clarified that the impeachment court was not following a fixed timeline and that he could not say exactly when the trial would end, as this would depend on the evidence presented by the defense and the flow of the hearings.

The defense is presenting its evidence against Article 2 of the impeachment complaint, which accuses the Vice President of betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution over alleged unexplained wealth amounting to P817 million to P1.5 billion, stemming from the alleged non-declaration of assets and failure to divest from businesses despite a constitutional prohibition. —VBL, GMA News