Bank managers to testify at impeach trial

MANILA, Philippines —  House prosecutors will be presenting next week three witnesses who will testify before the Senate impeachment court about the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds by Vice President Sara Duterte.

Prosecution team spokesperson Benjamin Tolosa Jr. identified them as former branch managers Violeta Constantino and Nenita Camposano of the state-run Land Bank of the Philippines.

The court, through presiding officer Francis Escudero, previously authorized the prosecution to call Marivic Pareja of the House Legislative Archives and Museum Management Service to identify and authenticate records from earlier congressional proceedings.

Constantino used to head the Land Bank-Shaw Boulevard branch while Camposano also led the bank’s branch inside the Department of Education (DepEd) main office, both in Pasig City. They were directed to appear before the Senate impeachment court on July 29.

They will testify on Duterte’s alleged misuse and irregular disbursement of confidential funds under Article I of the Articles of Impeachment that the House filed in the Senate, which is now undergoing trial since July 6. The prosecution was allotted 30 trial days.

Article I accused the Vice President of culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust over the alleged misuse, misappropriation and irregular disbursement of P612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President and the DepEd, when she served as education secretary of President Marcos from mid-2022 to mid-2024.

The allegation remains for the prosecution to prove, while the defense will have the opportunity to cross-examine every witness, challenge the documents and present its own evidence.

Pareja’s testimony will cover records maintained by the House from its previous committee investigations, including transcripts and recordings relevant to the confidential-funds allegations.

Adversarial

Prosecutors reminded Sen. Robinhood Padilla that they are not supposed to be neutral as they are tasked to advocate for its case and it is the senators who are supposed to be neutral in the proceedings.

Lead prosecutor Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro explained that the impeachment trial is adversarial and the prosecution is meant to prosecute Duterte while it is the defense’s duty to prove her innocence.

Both the public and the senators sitting as judges in the impeachment trial against Vice President Duterte should have an open mind in weighing the evidence presented against her, according to law professor and litigation expert Howard Calleja. –  Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Daphne Galvez, Ghio Ong