FORMER Senator Antonio Trillanes IV will no longer testify in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, after requesting to be removed from the prosecution’s witness list to relieve the panel of political and procedural pressure.
Lead House prosecutor and Batangas Representative Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro formally announced the decision during open court proceedings on Thursday, October 1, seeking indulgence from the senator-judges for the delayed strategy shift.
Trillanes was originally slated as a key witness for Article 2 of the impeachment charges, which centers on alleged unexplained wealth and undisclosed bank accounts belonging to the Vice President and her family.
In a statement following the announcement, Trillanes confirmed he personally initiated his withdrawal so that the prosecution team “would be relieved from the pressure it is going through.”
While he did not elaborate on the specific nature of the pressure, he announced plans to hold a separate press conference to publicize documents and evidence he intended to present at the trial, including details regarding financial transactions he previously cited in social media posts and House committee hearings.
Addressing reporters after the proceedings, Luistro clarified that she was unaware of any external pressure from senator-judges influencing Trillanes’ decision.
Instead, she explained that the panel faced mounting time constraints regarding the volume of remaining evidence and witnesses, noting that Senator-Judge Raffy Tulfo had previously urged prosecutors to streamline their presentation to avoid unnecessary delays.
“There is none,” Luistro asserted when asked if the withdrawal would weaken the case against the Vice President, maintaining that the prosecution’s remaining evidence remains robust.
Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan echoed this confidence, noting that Trillanes’ previous sworn testimony before the House Committee on Justice is already part of the official court records.
Moving forward, the prosecution is shifting focus to official financial records, preparing to present Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Secretariat Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura alongside representatives from seven banks and seven financial institutions.