Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV arrives at the Senate in Pasay City on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, as he is scheduled to testify on the 31st day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
MANILA — Former Senator Antonio Trillanes remains part of the House prosecution's witness list in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, according to House Impeachment Prosecutor Terry Ridon.
"As I speak today, he's still part of the witness list," said Ridon. "And sinabi naman po ng presiding officer na 'yun pong prosecution 'yun pong mapagpasya kung itutuloy po ang kanyang testimonya sa darating pong mga araw."
READ: LRA officials, AMLC chief, Trillanes next witnesses in VP Sara trial—prosecution
He said the prosecution takes "under strict advisement" the reminder of Senate Impeachment Court Presiding Officer Sen. Francis Escudero to present the Anti-Money Laundering Council officer and bank officials or the bank records before Trillanes.
"Hindi pa ho ito tapos na usapin so aantayin ho natin 'yung Huwebes, 'yung pagsisimula po ng paglilitis ko ano ho 'yung pinaka pinal," said Ridon.
"Pero ang totoo naman whether mauna po si former Senator Trillanes o mahuli, as what several of the members of the Senate Impeachment Court are actually asking for, I think they'd intimated it yesterday," he added. "Then sa totoo lang, we are ready naman po to do it in whichever sequence that they will be presented."
READ: Impeachment court warns prosecution vs presenting Trillanes before bank records scrutiny
Asked about the risk of presenting Trillanes as witness amid perceptions that some senator-judges may not view him favorably, Ridon asserted what matters is whether his testimony will be able to stand cross examination.
"Kung galit man sila kay Senator Trillanes, whoever it is, well sila na ho 'yung mapagpasya doon. But ang mahalaga po dito yun pong testimonya po niya mismo," said Ridon.
Ridon is also confident that the one-day "strategic procedural pause" in Duterte's impeachment trial on Wednesday will not derail the House prosecution's momentum in presenting witnesses.
"Nagpapasalamat kami sa Senate Impeachment Court, dahil nabigyan ng pagkakataon 'yung lahat ng panig na magkaroon ng pagtigil ngayong araw na ito, para makapaghanda doon sa buong araw na mga pagdinig na magsisimula bukas hanggang sa gitna ng Oktubre," he said.
Ridon noted that the prosecution is ready to present witnesses and evidence when the trial resumes, including officials from the Land Registration Authority and the Anti-Money Laundering Council, as well as Trillanes.
SENATORS SEEK RELEVANT, STRONG EVIDENCE
Meanwhile, Sen. Erwin Tulfo said he wanted to see relevant witnesses in the next impeachment hearings.
"Ang tingin ko lang siguro, yung mga ini-invite na mga testigo, whether hostile or testigo talaga ng prosecution, dapat siguro, dapat may saysay. Hindi yung, masasayang ang oras eh, if we invite na mga witnesses na wala namang sasabihin, it's a waste of time," he told an interview.
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano during the Sept. 23 hearing said he hoped “that the evidence will be so damning that 24 senator- judges will convict, or the evidence will be so obviously not worthy of an impeachment charge that all 24 senator-judges will acquit.”
“ Kasi kung ganoon, wala na 'tong usapan na threshold, wala nang usapan ng political persecution, wala nang usapan ng pulitika," he said.
Sen. Miguel Zubiri said during the September 28 trial that they were “looking for the bigger evidence that they want to present.”
“Baka pwede mag-adjust kayo ng inyong defense strategy kasi…pagdating sa masyadong technical at yung impression na nagsisilip lang ng napakaliit na butas, mukhang hindi po nagre-register," Sen. Panfilo Lacson said inn the same hearing. “Para bang napakaliit na butas at masyadong technical, medyo hindi po tumatalab.”
On Tuesday, presiding officer Sen. Francis Escudero went as far as flagging the prosecution's planned presentation of Trillanes as a witness before the Vice President's bank records could be scrutinized.
"The cart cannot be put ahead of the horse. It would be best, um, as originally planned by the prosecutors in their motion itself to present at the very least the AMLC officer and/or the bank officials or bank records" Escudero said.
— With a report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News
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