MANILA — House prosecutors dropped Civil Service Commission (CSC) Assistant Commissioner Ariel Ronquillo from their witness lineup on Monday as the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte continued under Article II of the complaint.

Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon told the Senate impeachment court that the prosecution decided not to present Ronquillo after determining that earlier testimonies from retired Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang and Office of the Ombudsman official Karen Batu had sufficiently covered the matters he was expected to discuss.

Ronquillo had been subpoenaed to testify about the preparation and filing of Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, or SALNs, as well as the rules governing their interpretation and application.

Ridon said the decision was made to help expedite the proceedings.

Presiding officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero then excused Ronquillo, who had already appeared at the Senate for his scheduled testimony.

The prosecution proceeded with Securities and Exchange Commission Company Registration and Monitoring Department Director Gerardo Fernando Del Rosario, its third witness under Article II.

Del Rosario was called to authenticate SEC records involving companies in which Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, declared business interests or financial connections. Prosecutors prepared more than 200 exhibits covering over 3,000 pages for his testimony. His appearance had previously been deferred because of the volume of records involved.

The prosecution also asked the impeachment court to move the testimony of Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System Division Chief Rendell Sopeña to Tuesday.

According to Ridon, Sopeña received his subpoena on September 18 and needed additional time to complete the documents required by the court. The impeachment court granted the request.

Sopeña is expected to testify about government procurement transactions involving entities in which Duterte declared an interest. He was also directed to produce records of contracts between Gencorp Industries Inc. and government agencies from 2020 to the present.

Article II of the impeachment complaint alleges that Duterte failed to fully and truthfully disclose her and her spouse’s assets, liabilities and net worth and failed to divest from business interests while serving as vice president. These remain allegations being presented and contested before the Senate impeachment court.

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