VP’s team surprised but respects prosecution’s withdrawal of 2 witnesses

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team on Tuesday said they “did not expect” the House prosecution panel to withdraw two witnesses from the impeachment trial, but added that they respect the panel’s prerogative, even recognizing that the defense could potentially do the same in future proceedings. Defense spokesperson Michael Poa said this after private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan announced near the conclusion of the trial’s fifth day that the prosecution panel had decided to withdraw Office of the Vice President chief of staff Zuleika Lopez and House of Representatives Legislative Security Bureau Executive Director Belinda Bello as their witnesses in tackling Article IV of the impeachment complaints. Article IV involves the kill plot the vice president herself revealed during an online press conference against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., first lady Liza Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez. READ: LIVE UPDATES: Impeachment trial of VP Sara Duterte | July 14, 2026 “That’s okay with us, honestly, we did not expect it,” said Poa during a press conference. “But that was the prerogative of the prosecution, and we have no objections [to] the same,” he added. When asked if the withdrawal of the two witnesses would be advantageous for the defense team, Poa responded that not necessarily so, as he stated that Kapunan “articulated well” the panel’s reasons for dropping Lopez and Bello as witnesses, as they felt that it would be redundant. READ: Sara Duterte to support Lopez on Day 5 of impeachment trial – Defense Poa even acknowledged that the defense team could potentially drop their own witnesses listed in their pre-trial brief, especially in cases when they determine that no further corroboration will be needed. “This is what we have been telling you before, although there are many witnesses listed, it is normal that in the pre-trial brief you will include everything you can think of because if not… you will be barred from presenting that witness, and the other party will object to you because you did not include them in your pre-trial brief,” explained Poa, speaking in Filipino. “But, it doesn’t mean that with the number of witnesses we have listed, we will all present them… so I guess this is proof that it can really happen that although you listed someone as a witness… you can still manifest that you will no longer be presenting that witness,” he added. Poa further noted that reducing the number of witnesses would benefit all parties involved in the impeachment trial, including the prosecution and the senator-judges as it could help expedite the proceedings. “Because the initial projection was around 8 months … and I think all of the parties involved … are hoping the trial won’t take that long,” said Poa. While the entire trial is expected to run for 92 days, which means it may still extend until early 2027, only two witnesses have so far been presented by the prosecution panel even after 5 days. /cb