LIVE UPDATES: Sara Duterte Impeachment Trial (July 20, 2026)

The Senate impeachment court continued the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, issuing subpoenas for the bank and Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) records of the Vice President and her husband, Manases Carpio.

During the trial, House prosecutor Chel Diokno presented what the prosecution described as the ultimate facts supporting the article of impeachment involving Duterte's alleged unexplained wealth.

Diokno said ultimate facts are the “essential factual elements that make up a party’s cause of action or defense.”

The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte maintained its opposition to the House prosecution panel’s request for the Senate impeachment court to issue a subpoena on the latter’s bank and tax documents in relation to her ongoing impeachment trial.

On Day 7 of Duterte’s impeachment trial, Senator-judge Joel Villanueva asked clarification on the producing of the subpoenaed documents, including their admissibility and evidentiary weight. 

The Senate impeachment court on Monday granted the House prosecution panel’s request to issue a subpoena for the bank and Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) records of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio.

In a separate ruling, the impeachment court also granted the motion for a subpoena for relevant tax records related to the Vice President.

House Prosecutor Chel Diokno asserted Monday that a Supreme Court (SC) ruling does not bar the presentation of evidence involving acts or omissions that occurred before an impeachable official assumed office, as the Senate impeachment court continues tackled the prosecution panel's request to subpoena the bank records of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Diokno made the statement as he argued against the application of a July 2025 SC ruling that declared a previous Articles of Impeachment against Duterte unconstitutional.

Former Senate President Franklin Drilon said Monday the bank and tax records of Vice President Sara Duterte are exempted from confidentiality laws as it is being requested in connection with the latter’s ongoing impeachment trial.

Drilon made the remarks as the Senate impeachment court is expected to decide on the House prosecution panel’s request for the issuance of subpoena on Duterte’s bank and tax documents.

“Ang decision noon ay sinubpoena ang bank records dahil ang impeachment ay isang exemption sa secrecy of bank deposit,” Drilon told dzBB Super Radyo.

(The decision in CJ Corona’s case was to subpoena the bank records because the request was made for an impeachment trial and impeachment trials are exempted from the Bank Secrecy Law.)

“Mayroon tayong batas na nagsasabi na hindi mo pwedeng isapubliko ang bank deposits ng isang mamamayan ngunit ang exemption ay ang impeachment trial. Bakit po? Dahil ang impeachment trial ay isang paraan kung saan pinasagot ang mga impeachable officials sa mga pagkukulang, o corruption,” he said.

(We have a law the bars from publicizing a person’s bank deposits but the impeachment trial is an exemption. Why? Because impeachment is a tool that we can use to hold impeachable officials accountable for corruption.)

The testimony of National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag will be the 'finale' of the House prosecution panel in their presentation of the Article IV of the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte

“So ito po ‘yung magiging finale nitong Article IV, ang presentasyon ng House prosecution panel kay Director Matibag at ang pagbibigay po niya ng information, facts surrounding this preliminary investigation conducted by the NBI,” House prosecution spokesperson Representative Zia Alonto Adiong said Monday.

The Senate impeachment court is expected to vote Monday afternoon on whether to subpoena the financial records of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio.

Impeachment court spokesperson Regie Tongol earlier said only a simple majority of senators present is required to grant the prosecution's request to subpoena the couple's tax and bank records.

The House prosecution panel in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte views the defense camp's resistance to opening her financial records as a move that raises serious questions.

“Kung gusto po talagang patunayan na ang amounts ng bank records nila… nitong period na ito ay hindi ganyan kalaki, hindi ho ba e dapat sila mismo nga ang magpakita nitong mga bank records nila?” House prosecution panel member and spokesperson Benjamin Tolosa said Sunday in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

(If they truly want to prove that the amounts in their bank records during this period are not that high, shouldn’t they be the ones volunteering to present these records themselves?)

“So ‘yung fact na talagang pinipigilan nila na lumabas ito, meron hong malaking katanungan talaga ‘yan na pinapakita sa atin,” he added.

(So the mere fact that they are actively preventing this from coming out raises a big question for all of us.)

During the sixth day of the impeachment trial on July 15, Duterte's defense team urged the Senate court to reject the prosecution's request for subpoenas for the Vice President's bank and tax records.

The impeachment court deferred its decision until the trial resumes on Monday, July 20.

Tolosa said the prosecution team is confident that the impeachment court will grant their request.

“Nananalig ho kami na mapagbibigyan ’yan dahil malakas naman po yung basehan ng aming request para ipa-subpoena itong mga dokumentong ito,” Tolosa said.

(We are confident that this will be granted because we have strong grounds for our request to subpoena these documents.)

He pointed out that the law exempts the impeachment court from bank secrecy laws and grants it access to Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) records, noting that the agency is even permitted to share information with its foreign counterparts.

Tolosa reiterated that the Vice President’s bank records are among the strongest pieces of evidence to prove whether her bank accounts during the period in question match the wealth declared in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).

The strongest, but not the only evidence

According to Tolosa, Duterte's financial records will be presented as evidence for the articles of impeachment concerning unexplained wealth and the untruthful declaration of her SALN.

However, even though they consider the records to be among their strongest pieces of evidence, Tolosa said that the articles of impeachment will still stand on the strength of their other evidence.

“Well, hindi naman po nakasalalay sa isang ebidensya lamang ang ating articles of impeachment. So, meron pa tayong ibang testimonya and documentary evidence,” Tolosa said.

(Well, our articles of impeachment do not rely on a single piece of evidence alone. We still have other testimonies and documentary evidence.)

“Pero ganon pa man, talagang ipaglalaban namin na maipresenta itong mga dokumento na ‘to dahil ito ho yung pamamaraan para makita ng impeachment court at ng buong bayan ‘yung katotohanan patungkol sa magkano ba talaga ang yaman ng bise presidente noong panahon na nakaupo siya bilang lingkod-bayan versus magkano lang ang kaniyang na-declare sa kanyang SALN,” he maintained.

(But regardless, we will really fight to present these documents because this is the way for the impeachment court and the entire nation to see the truth regarding the actual wealth of the Vice President during her time as a public servant, versus what she merely declared in her SALN.)

Tolosa recalled the big disparity in Duterte’s P80 million declared wealth compared to the P6.7 billion reflected on AMLC records.

During a House committee hearing in April, the AMLC revealed that P6.7 billion in covered and suspicious bank transactions were linked to Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio. — BM, GMA News