Headline
House prosecution aims to wrap up confidential funds case against Sara Duterte by next week
Floyd Brenz., Philippine Canadian Inquirer
September 01, 2026
Photo Courtesy: Senate of the Philippines/Facebook
PHILIPPINES – The House prosecution panel expects to complete its presentation of evidence on the alleged misuse of confidential funds by Vice President Sara Duterte as early as next week, paving the way for the impeachment trial to move to the next article.
House prosecutor and Manila Rep. Joel Chua said the panel has already covered the key points involving the Youth Leadership Summits and military certifications allegedly used in the Department of Education’s response to state auditors.
Chua said the prosecution may drop the testimony of two more military officers whose expected statements would largely repeat evidence already presented in court.
The panel instead plans to proceed with witnesses including former DepEd Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Michael Wesley Poa and a representative from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
Poa is expected to discuss the chain behind the military certifications, while the PSA representative will testify about the verification of names appearing in confidential-fund records.
After these witnesses, Chua said only a few witnesses remain for Article I, including former DepEd special disbursing officer Edward Fajarda.
Article I involves allegations of misuse, misappropriation and irregular liquidation of PHP612.5 million in confidential funds released to the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education during Duterte’s tenure.
The prosecution hopes to finish presenting its evidence by November, allowing the impeachment court to deliberate and potentially reach a decision by December.
Meanwhile, the House prosecution panel has decided to keep all 11 prosecutors in place despite earlier discussions about reshuffling the team.
Chua said some prosecutors had considered stepping down to allow them to speak more freely about the trial, following restrictions imposed by the Senate impeachment court on public comments concerning matters under consideration.
The panel ultimately chose continuity, with prosecutors expected to limit public briefings to procedural matters such as schedules and witness sequencing.
With the prosecution racing toward its November target, the impeachment trial is moving closer to the point where senators will have to weigh the evidence and decide Duterte’s political fate.
