ICYMI LIVE UPDATES: Sara Duterte Impeachment Trial (September 7, 2026)

Military officials Colonel Raymund Lachica and Colonel Dennis Nolasco may still be presented as witnesses in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte by her defense team, Presiding Officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero said Monday.

“We do not know yet if the defense will call Lachica and Nolasco because I believe they are listed as a common witness supposedly by both parties in the pre-trial order. So there may still be a chance,” Escudero said.

This came after Senator-Judges Erwin and Raffy Tulfo expressed that they want to question the two regarding the confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education. 

Meanwhile, Escudero said that the Impeachment court may also call the two military officials to the witness stand.

“Nothing prevents a court from calling a witness, not only as amicus curiae but also as a witness, or even recalling a witness for that matter should the court decide at the proper time to do so,” he said.

The House prosecution panel on Monday said they will present in advance Article 2 of the impeachment case, which refers to the alleged unexplained wealth of Vice President Sara Duterte.

House lead prosecutor and Batangas Representative Gerville Luistro said this on the 22nd day of the impeachment trial.

“We understand that in the order of presentation of articles, Article 2, unexplained wealth was placed at the last presentation by the prosecution. Nevertheless, Your Honor, consistent with the compliance and manifestation filed by the prosecution on June 22, 2026, the prosecution exercises its prerogative to advance the presentation of evidence for unexplained wealth,” Luistro said.

She, however, emphasized that the prosecution is not waiving the presentation of evidence for the bribery charge under Article 3 of the impeachment case.

Senator-Judge Raffy Tulfo on Monday said security officers Colonel Raymund Lachica and Colonel Dennis Nolasco should still be called as witnesses in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte to give answers on the unusual names indicated on the acknowledgement receipts of the confidential funds.

On the 22nd day of the trial, Tulfo made the manifestation as Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Assistant National Statistician Marizza Grande testified that some confidential fund payees listed by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Department of Education (DepEd) have no birth, marriage, and death records.

“For me it's really important na mapatawag dito ‘yung Lachica at saka ‘yung counterpart ni Lachica sa DepEd para sila talaga ang may kinalaman doon sa pagbibigay ng mga pangalan na ‘yan,” the senator-judge said.

(For me it's really important to call Lachica and his counterpart at DepEd as they are the ones who are really involved in giving those names.)

Some recipients of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Department of Education's (DepEd) confidential funds matched the names of deceased individuals and children in the records of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), a witness in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial testified Monday.

PSA Assistant National Statistician Marizza Grande said the youngest supposed signatory in the acknowledgment receipts was Marlin Sunga, who died in November 1965.

“Based po kasi sa death certificate po niya, two months pa lang ay namatay na po siya (because based on her death certificate, she died when she was two months old),” she said.

According to Grande, Sunga has been dead for around 57 years as of 2023. 

It is unlikely for Department of Education (DepEd) Special Disbursing Officer Edward Fajarda to take the witness stand on Monday, September 7, in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, House prosecutor Joel Chua said.

He said a medical bulletin was issued advising Fajarda to take 30 days of rest.

“With that, imposible na maisalang namin siya today (it’s impossible for him to be called today),” Chua told reporters.

“Kung ganoon ang mangyayari maga-ano kami, magbabago kami ng strategy. Most likely ang maisasalang namin ngayon is ‘yung PSA,” he added.

(If this is the case, we will have to change our strategy. Most likely we will call on the PSA.)

The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte would continue on Monday with a new witness to be presented by the House prosecution panel to answer questions on the “fictitious individuals” whom confidential funds were disbursed to.

Once the trial resumes at 10 a.m., the prosecution is expected to call to the witness stand Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Assistant National Statistician Marizza Grande.

Prosecutor Terry Ridon of Bicol Saro party-list earlier explained that PSA officials are included in the witnesses for the allegation on misused confidential funds because they conducted the study, which showed that the names on the acknowledgment receipts like the infamous Mary Grace Piattos, “were not born, did not marry, and did not die in the Philippines, because they have no PSA records.”

“We will be able to show that these are fake, fictitious individuals. Ibig sabihin, talaga po na may nangyaring kababalaghan at maling paggamit dito po sa pondo ng bayan,” Ridon said.

(This means that irregularities and the misuse of public funds indeed took place.)

Grande’s testimony will still be in relation to Article 1 of the impeachment case, which accuses the Vice President of committing impeachable offenses due to systematic misappropriation, and irregular liquidation of confidential funds amounting to P500 million released to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and P112.5 million released to the Department of Education (DepEd).

Duterte’s defense team previously said they were ready to explain the use of aliases for confidential funds.

“Specifically the ‘Mary Grace Piattos,’ we are ready to respond to that and explain bakit may mga ganyan (why things like that exist),” Defense spokesperson Michael Poa said in February.

“She will address those issues in the appropriate time at kung ang circumstances bakit may ‘Mary Grace Piattos’ and things like that, and that has been something we have been preparing for last year pa,” he added.

(She will address those issues at the appropriate time, including the circumstances of why there is a ‘Mary Grace Piattos’ and things like that, and that has been something we have been preparing for since last year.)

Aside from Mary Grace Piattos, the unusual names that were identified as confidential fund recipients include: Milky Secuya, Feonna Villegas, Miggy Mango, Xiaomi Ocho, and Jay Kamote, among others.

Apart from the PSA official, the Senate impeachment court likewise ordered Commission on Audit (COA) employee Bresilio Sabaldan, DepEd Assistant Secretary Sunshine Fajarda, and Police Major Jovelyn Magay to testify in the impeachment trial from September 7 to 9. —Giselle Ombay/BAP, GMA News