Sara Duterte Impeachment Trial: New Witnesses Lined Up for Article 1

The impeachment trial of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte is entering a new phase with the presentation of new witnesses concerning Article 1, which alleges misuse of confidential funds. According to impeachment court spokesperson Regie Tongol, the House prosecution panel is scheduled to present Police Major Jovelyn Magay as a witness on Tuesday morning. Magay is expected to testify on how the names on the acknowledgement receipts (ARs) for the confidential funds were written. "With the PNP question document examiner who will be presented, the House prosecution panel intends to prove that the writing of names on the ARs was done by either one, two, or just a few persons with similar strokes, etc.," Tongol said. The prosecution maintains that the names listed as payees in the ARs are fictitious people, while the defense is trying to prove they are aliases. Should the direct, cross, redirect, and recross examinations of Magay, as well as interjections from senator-judges, be concluded within the day, the next witness will be called to the stand. Based on the impeachment court's list, Sunshine Fajarda, former Assistant Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) and incumbent Director VI of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), is lined up to testify after Magay. Commission on Audit- Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office (COA-ICFAO) Assistant Commissioner and Chief Executive Staff Bresilio Sabaldan has also been ordered to testify in the trial. This trial is crucial for transparency and accountability in Philippine politics, potentially impacting public trust in the Vice President's capacity to govern and manage public funds. Source: GMA News Philippines