In a separate statement, Trillanes confirmed that he had requested the prosecution to remove him from the witness list. He cited the desire to relieve the prosecution panel from what he described as “the pressure it is going through.” Trillanes indicated that he will hold a press conference on Friday, October 2, to disclose the specific content of the testimony he was prepared to provide.
The former senator was scheduled to testify regarding bank records associated with the Duterte family. In 2016, Trillanes leaked documents detailing years of bank transactions involving then-presidential aspirant Rodrigo Duterte and his family members. These documents were later referenced during earlier impeachment proceedings at the House of Representatives in April, where it was noted that the transactions identified in Trillanes’ records matched data from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).
The AMLC stated that a total of 6.7 billion Philippine pesos in large and suspicious transactions flowed through the bank accounts of Vice President Duterte and her husband, Mans Carpio, between 2006 and 2025. This figure represents a significant disparity when compared to the Vice President’s declared net worth, which peaked at over 90 million Philippine pesos in 2025 according to her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).
The withdrawal of Trillanes from the witness list follows a period of procedural adjustments in the trial. During the same session on October 1, the impeachment court also moved the schedule for an AMLC witness, indicating ongoing logistical and strategic shifts in the presentation of evidence. The decision to drop Trillanes marks a notable change in the prosecution’s strategy to present financial evidence against the Vice President.
Trillanes’ decision to step back from the witness stand comes amid broader discussions regarding the intensity of the proceedings. While the prosecution has not detailed the specific nature of the “pressure” mentioned by Trillanes, the former senator’s statement suggests that his presence on the witness list posed a logistical or reputational challenge for the legal team. His upcoming press conference is expected to provide further clarity on the financial details he was prepared to testify to, which may still be relevant to the broader narrative of the impeachment case.
The impeachment trial continues under the jurisdiction of the Senate, which serves as the court of impeachment for the Vice President. The next scheduled hearings will focus on the remaining witnesses called by the prosecution, including officials from the AMLC, as the process moves forward toward a final decision on the charges brought against Vice President Duterte.
