PMaj. Jerickson Sangalang takes the witness stand on Day 30 of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte at the Senate in Pasay City on Monday, September 28, 2026. During his testimony, Sangalang revealed that Duterte owns 22 firearms, including three automatic rifles classified as Class A light weapons. He added that civilians who acquired such firearms before the law took effect could keep them but cannot transfer ownership. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
MANILA — After senator-judges questioned the relevance of testimony from the chief of the Philippine National Police Firearms and Explosives Office (PNP-FEO), the House prosecution maintained Monday that the testimony was relevant to Article II, which concerned Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth.
“There were questions on relevance of the testimony but of course the prosecution maintained the position that the testimony is relevant because after all, firearms are still part of the personal assets of the respondent Vice President,” House lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro said in the post-trial briefing.
Senators question relevance of PNP firearms chief's testimony in Duterte impeachment trial
House prosecutor Rep. Terry Ridon said the issue was not whether the firearms were registered or not, but whether they were declared in Vice President Sara Duterte’s SALNs.
“We are thankful that it is in fact licensed and subject to regulation but again, ang pinag-uusapan natin dito tama ba o mali na wala po sa SALN ito pong mga particular na pag-aari nito pong mga armas po na ito,” he said.
The prosecution pointed to Duterte’s nondisclosure of firearms, particularly in her 2025 SALN, noting that under the 2025 guidelines, firearms should be declared in the SALN of any public official.
“Section 34 of the Guidelines on Declaration of Asset Liabilities and Net Worth, the 2025 guidelines which explicitly says na dapat ang firearms ay i-declare,” Luistro added.
“Remember itong article na ito, isa doon sa ating inallege yung nondisclosure, yung nondisclosure sa SALN diba?... Eh diba ang firearms ay part of your personal property? Therefore you are compelled or obliged to declare this as part of your personal properties” House prosecution adviser Ace Barbers said.
Sara Duterte owns 22 firearms, says PNP official
The prosecution said it respects the senator-judges’ views on the matter but maintained that the testimony would provide a “complete picture” of Duterte’s wealth, even though the total value of the firearms amounted to only P7 million.
“Ang kuha ko po doon sa binabanggit kanina, they wanted to focus on bigger amounts that will be presented,” Ridon said.
“But again may dahilan kung bakit ho ito ay sinasalang like what we had previously stated we wanted to be able to present a most complete picture of the true wealth of the Vice President,” he added.