MANILA, Philippines — In a highly unusual legal maneuvering that has caught the attention of Malacañang and the nation, the House prosecution panel has finalized its list of witnesses for the upcoming Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.Thursday, June 25, 2026, the prosecution has submitted a 57-page pretrial brief detailing 57 intended witnesses, including top Office of the Vice President (OVP) officials and a highly controversial, allegedly fictitious receipt-signer.
The list sets the stage for a dramatic showdown when the formal trial officially gets underway on July 6, 2026.
The core of Article I of the Articles of Impeachment centers entirely on the alleged misuse and misappropriation of confidential funds (CF) under the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd) during Duterte’s tenure as its secretary.
To prove these financial infractions, the prosecution has summoned a mix of high-profile insiders and administrative targets:
[ KEY PROSECUTION WITNESS DEPLOYMENTS ]
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[ USЕС. ZULEIKA LOPEZ ] [ "MARY GRACE PIATTOS" ]
• **The OVP Chief of Staff:** Summoned to provide direct, internal • **The Fictitious Recipient:** Nominated by the prosecution to
testimony to "prove that the respondent misused and misappropriated • "testify on their alleged receipt of confidential funds."
confidential funds." • **The Identity Mystery:** The name—which mirrors a popular
• **Prior Friction:** Lopez previously faced a House contempt tag • local potato chip brand—was found by the Philippine Statistics
in late 2024 for requesting COA to withhold audit observations. • Authority (PSA) to have zero live birth or marriage records.
Other notable names anchoring the 27 witnesses for Article I include former Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, DepEd official Edward Fajarda, former Duterte aide Ramil Madriaga, and even the Vice President’s own defense lawyer, Atty. Michael Poa, who will be questioned regarding DepEd’s responses to COA audit findings.
The inclusion of “Mary Grace Piattos”—alongside a long list of other questionable names discovered on OVP acknowledgment receipts (ARs) such as Chippy McDonald, Kokoy Villamin, and Jay Kamote—is being viewed by political analysts as an aggressive legal play.
[ THE PROSECUTION VS. DEFENSE STANCE ] │ ▼[ The Strategy ] ──► Palace Press Officer Claire Castro described the inclusion of the nonexistent Piattos as a deliberate "strategy" or "style" to highlight that the names used to liquidate millions in public funds do not exist. │ ▼[ Proving the Claim ]──► Lead public prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro noted that if allowed by the Senate court, the inclusion is highly significant in proving that the liquidation documents themselves were completely falsified. │ ▼[ Defense Unfazed ] ──► Defense spokesman Atty. Michael Poa remained unfazed, calling it the prosecution's absolute prerogative: *"Definitely, if they are presented, we will be ready to cross-examine them."*
Beyond the financial aspects, the pretrial brief also reveals how the prosecution intends to handle Article IV, which tackles the Vice President’s alleged threats to high-ranking officials, including President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the First Lady, and Speaker Martin Romualdez.
In a surprise inclusion, prosecutors listed Abe Andres, a former Davao City court sheriff. Andres was famously punched by Duterte 15 years ago during a high-profile, court-ordered slum demolition dispute when she was still serving as Davao City Mayor. By bringing Andres to the stand, the prosecution aims to establish a long-term, legally documented “tendency to inflict physical violence”—weaving a historical thread to substantiate the modern claims of intimidation and severe misconduct currently threatening her hold on the vice presidency.