House prosecutors on Monday dropped a Civil Service Commission official from their witness lineup and moved another witness to Tuesday as they streamlined the presentation of evidence in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon told the Senate impeachment court that CSC Assistant Commissioner Ariel Ronquillo would no longer be called to testify because earlier witnesses had already sufficiently covered the matters he was expected to discuss.
Ronquillo had been expected to testify on the preparation and filing of Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, including the rules governing their interpretation and application.
Ridon cited the testimonies of retired Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang and Office of the Ombudsman records official Karen Batu, saying the prosecution was satisfied that their appearances had already addressed the relevant issues.
Presiding officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero then excused Ronquillo, who was already at the Senate for his scheduled testimony.
The prosecution instead proceeded with Securities and Exchange Commission Company Registration and Monitoring Department Director Gerardo Fernando Del Rosario as its next witness under Article II. Prosecutors earlier said Del Rosario would authenticate corporate records involving companies where Duterte had declared business interests or financial connections.
His testimony marked the prosecution’s shift from SALN records to corporate documents as it sought to support allegations of unexplained wealth and prohibited business interests under Article II. Prosecutors had prepared more than 200 exhibits spanning more than 3,000 pages for his appearance.
The prosecution also asked the court to move Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System Division Chief Rendell Sopeña’s testimony to Tuesday, saying he needed more time to complete documents covered by his subpoena.
Sopeña is expected to present government procurement records involving Gencorp Industries Inc., including transactions with government agencies from 2020 to the present.
Article II of the impeachment complaint accuses Duterte of failing to fully and truthfully disclose her assets and of maintaining prohibited business interests while in public office. Duterte has disputed the allegations against her in the impeachment proceedings.
