Imee Marcos clashes with state auditor over Sara Duterte's accountability for confidential funds

A state auditor has disputed Senator Imee Marcos' assertion that Vice President Sara Duterte is not the 'accountable officer' for her office's confidential funds. Witness Roderick Wamil contradicted Marcos' interpretation, stating that the Vice President is indeed the accountable officer. The issue arose during the 13th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday, August 5, where a potential conflict of interest involving defense lawyer Michael Poa was also raised. In a separate but related development, the Supreme Court en banc dismissed as moot consolidated petitions that questioned the House of Representatives' proceedings on impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte. This decision allows the impeachment proceedings to continue. On the economic front, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that inflation eased to 6.2% in July 2026, a slight slowdown from the 6.4% recorded in June. This moderation was attributed to a relative slowdown in transport costs, which helped temper overall price increases. Despite the easing, inflation remains elevated, posing continued challenges for consumers. (Note: The mention of Ukraine's accusation against Russia regarding a war crime has been omitted from this report as it is not directly related to the core Philippine issues discussed.)