VICE President Sara Duterte’s defense team has named 24 witnesses for the first week of its presentation of evidence in her impeachment trial, following the withdrawal of its initial witness, constitutional law professor Dean Ralph Sarmiento.
The list was contained in a Nov. 4 manifestation with a request for subpoenas filed by Duterte’s lawyers before the Senate impeachment court, according to a copy of the document provided by the prosecution.
Defense counsel Michael Wesley Poa confirmed on Thursday that the defense had submitted its witness list.
“We respect Dean Sarmiento’s personal decision and appreciate his initial consideration of our invitation. We wish him well in his continued contributions to constitutional discourse,” Poa said.
He added that the defense understood Sarmiento’s decision, but declined to disclose the contents of its court submissions.
“Consistent with our disposition since pretrial, we will refrain from disclosing the contents of our court submissions and filings,” Poa said.
The 24 witnesses named in the manifestation are Suzette Balucanag-Punay, corporate counsel of GenCorp Industries Inc. and Metro City Chow Foods Corp.; Jaime Adalin, Davao City assessor; John Kenneth Enumerables, Island Garden City of Samal assessor; Vingelin Bajan, Davao City accountant; Cindy Colina, Matina Crossing barangay chairman; Olivia Barcarse, BDO Unibank first vice president; Alvin Go, BDO legal service group head; Paul Roderick Ysmael, Bank of the Philippine Islands senior vice president; Cesar Bernard Coloma, BPI vice president and head of litigation; Marino Buban Jr., EastWest Bank first vice president and head of legal service division; Joselito Vallada, Land Bank of the Philippines senior vice president; Janella Marie Panlilio, Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. legal and remedial services group head; Jose Manuel Jr., Philippine Savings Bank head of legal services division; Rodel Mediavillo, PSBank branch review and control unit head; May Ann Candaroma-Morales, PSBank loan securities department head; Joseph Anthony Lopez, Security Bank head of legal and first vice president; Joselito Banaag, UnionBank of the Philippines corporate secretary and general counsel; Louiemel Panes, UnionBank branch ambassador; Rogelio Villos Jr., UnionBank senior branch ambassador; Jayah Deneserie Scalf, UnionBank branch ambassador; Gemma Lynn Del Mundo, UnionBank senior branch ambassador; Anel Martin Antero; Chadrin Parian; and Vimar Barcellano, Quezon City prosecutor. The witnesses are expected to address various aspects of the defense’s efforts to counter Article II of the Articles of Impeachment, which accuses Duterte of unexplained wealth.
Balucanag-Punay, Adalin, Enumerables and Bajan are expected to testify on corporate records, property tax declarations and tax maps, as well as Duterte’s remuneration during her tenure in Davao City.
Colina, meanwhile, is expected to discuss matters concerning Matina Crossing, including its creation, official name and other names by which it is known.
Bank representatives will testify on requests made by Duterte and her lawyer, Manases Carpio, through Poa Himala and Virtucio Law, along with the banks’ responses and related documents.
The manifestation also named Antero, Parian and Barcellano, although it did not specify their expected testimony.
Former dean begs off
Sarmiento, former dean of the College of Law of the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City, declined to participate as a witness in the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Duterte.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Sarmiento thanked the defense team for recognizing the value of the constitutional and legal views he has been sharing on social media.
“I had not anticipated that these views might potentially become part of the impeachment proceedings. After careful consideration, I have decided to decline participation as a witness in the proceedings,” he said.
He explained that his decision is personal, to preserve the independence of his constitutional law scholarship and the impartiality of his legal views and opinions.
Sarmiento added that he has asked the defense team to withdraw their request for a subpoena for his appearance or, if one has already been issued, to seek its recall by the impeachment court.
Earlier, in a formal manifestation filed with the court, Duterte’s counsel said Sarmiento would testify on legal and constitutional principles relevant to the impeachment case.
House lead prosecutor Gerville Luistro on Thursday praised Sarmiento for declining to testify.
House prosecutor and Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon on Thursday welcomed Sarmiento’s decision, saying his planned testimony on legal and constitutional principles was irrelevant to the remaining charge.
“It is only right that Dean Ralph Sarmiento withdrew from appearing at the trial,” Ridon said in Filipino.
“Presenting evidence from the defense about what they claim to be legal and constitutional principles is misplaced and has no basis: next week’s trial is about the defense against the allegations of unexplained wealth against the vice president, nothing else,” he added.
What the vice president’s counsels should focus on, the lawmaker reiterated, is to “explain the P800 million to P1.5 billion in unexplained wealth” supposedly amassed by Duterte and her husband Manases Carpio.
“More than P100 million deposited in financial accounts that were not declared in the Vice President’s SALN (statement of assets, liabilities and net worth), credit card transactions exceeding P200,000 just for dining out and shopping for shoes, and many more,” Ridon said. WITH JAVIER JOE ISMAEL AND KRISTINA MARALIT
