VP Duterte’s camp asks impeachment court to subpoena its first witness
Defense counsels listen during Day 39 of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte at the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/FileMANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte’s camp has asked the Senate Impeachment Court to issue a subpoena for Dean Ralph Sarmiento as its witness in the impeachment trial.
Sarmiento, who is a political and constitutional law professor, and a former vice chancellor for administration at University of St. La Salle, will be the Defense team’s first witness.
In a manifestation and request signed by Duterte’s counsels and electronically filed before the Impeachment Court on Wednesday, they said the Defense intends to present Sarmiento on November 9 to “testify on legal and constitutional principles relevant to this impeachment case and on Article II”.
The second impeachment article accuses the Vice President of having unexplained wealth, allegedly failing to disclose all her assets in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, and supposedly engaging in prohibited business interests.
“It is thus respectfully requested that this Honorable Court issue a Subpoena Ad Testificandum and Duces Tecum for said witness to appear, give testimony, and bring his Curriculum Vitae and other documents relevant to his qualifications and testimony, on said date,” the Defense’s manifestation stated.
Duterte’s camp further manifested that the identities of other witnesses for the hearings scheduled on November 10, 11, 12, 13, 19, 20, and 23, 2026 will be “disclosed in accordance with the five-day notice requirement”.
A copy of Duterte’s Manifestation and Request was also served to the prosecution. House Prosecutor Rep. Terry Ridon provided the media with a copy.