Highlights: Day 11 (Aug. 3, 2026) of Sara Duterte Impeachment Trial

By TFCN Correspondent

Photo: Philippine Senate

Manila: Proceedings in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte took an unexpected turn Monday after private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan drew attention to several acknowledgment receipts tied to the Office of the Vice President's confidential fund expenditures, questioning the names appearing on some of the documents. The exchange came as prosecutors continued presenting evidence related to the OVP's liquidation of confidential funds for 2022.

Kapunan pointed to receipts bearing the names "Andy Lim" and "Alejandro Pikit," joking that one name was difficult to read because it was "ang dilim" ("it's dark") and another because someone was "pikit" ("eyes closed"). The remarks came during the presentation of audit documents before the Senate impeachment court.

The receipts form part of the evidence being examined by Commission on Audit (COA) auditor Roderick Wamil, who is authenticating thousands of documents related to the OVP's confidential fund disbursements. Prosecutors say the records are among those supporting allegations of irregularities in the liquidation of hundreds of millions of pesos in confidential funds, while the defense has yet to present its rebuttal on the specific documents.

Highlights of what took place:

• COA auditor takes the stand. Commission on Audit (COA) auditor Roderick Wamil testified that he served in the agency's Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office from 2014 to 2024.

• No confidential funds for previous vice presidents. Wamil told the Senate impeachment court that former Vice Presidents Jejomar Binay and Leni Robredo were not allotted confidential funds, which is why he only audited the Office of the Vice President (OVP) during Vice President Sara Duterte's term.

• 15 boxes of evidence presented. Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan introduced 15 boxes of documents related to confidential funds. Wamil was tasked with identifying 50 exhibits, including 3,664 documents and 3,617 acknowledgment receipts.

• Prosecution flags questionable names. Kapunan pointed to unusual names appearing on acknowledgment receipts, including "Andy Lim" and "Alejandro Pikit," raising questions about the authenticity of some records.

• Batch validation of documents. Prosecutors sought to speed up proceedings by having Wamil authenticate documents in batches, aiming to complete his testimony covering around 800 audit-related documents tied to the liquidation of P612.5 million in confidential funds for 2022 and 2023.

• COA disallowed medicine purchases. Wamil testified that the OVP's P40 million expenditure for medicines distributed as rewards was disallowed because it did not comply with the purposes allowed under the 2015 Joint Circular governing confidential and intelligence funds.

• Travel expenses also disallowed. Another P10 million in travel expenses linked to confidential operations was similarly disallowed for failing to meet the allowable uses under the same guidelines.

• Previous COA findings cited. Wamil noted that in April 2026, COA flagged P375 million in OVP confidential funds due to insufficient justification, incomplete supporting documents, and disbursements made by unauthorized personnel.

• Banks granted more time. The Senate impeachment court gave BDO Unibank and Security Bank an additional 10 banking days, or until Aug. 13, to submit Vice President Duterte's financial records in compliance with the court's subpoena.

• House prosecutor renews call for Duterte to appear. House prosecutor and Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon again urged Duterte to personally attend the proceedings, noting that she has remained absent throughout the first 11 days of the trial.

• Survey on impeachment allegations. An Octa Research survey released Monday found that 43% of Filipinos believe bribery is the strongest impeachment allegation against Duterte, while 28% identified the alleged misuse of confidential funds as the most compelling charge.