Ex-DepEd SDO to skip Sara Duterte impeachment trial after reported 'stroke'

Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero on Monday said former Department of Education (DepEd) special disbursing officer (SDO) Edward Fajarda had requested to be excused from this week’s trial after reportedly suffering a stroke.

On the 17th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, Escudero said the impeachment court received a letter and medical certificate from Fajarda’s lawyer asking that he be allowed to skip the hearings on August 24 to 26, 2026.

“According to the letter and medical certificate, Mr. Fajarda was confined in the ICU [intensive care unit] for observation, although he’s in the regular room now, because he suffered from a stroke on the lower back side of the brain,” Escudero said.

The impeachment court previously issued a subpoena to Fajarda to testify on Article 1 of the Articles of Impeachment, which pertains to the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds by Duterte—P500 million from the Office of the Vice President and P112.5 million from the DepEd.

Before acting on Fajarda’s request, Escudero directed the head of the Senate Medical and Dental Bureau to examine the prospective witness, validate the medical findings with his physicians, and submit a report on the matter.

House lead prosecutor and Batangas Second District Representative Gerville Luistro then requested a certified true copy of Fajarda’s medical certificate from the impeachment court.

“Nonetheless, Your Honor, we would like to express our complete understanding and concern should the medical condition have any relation to the ongoing impeachment trial,” Luistro said.

She also requested that Fajarda still be presented as a witness by the prosecution panel, tentatively on September 7.

Escudero noted Luistro’s request.— MCG, GMA News