House prosecution panel member Representative Joel Chua accused the defense's first witness of lying during the 40th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, November 9.
Chua made the accusation during a prosecution press conference after questioning the testimony of Davao City Assessor Engineer Jaime Adalin, who took the witness stand as the first defense witness when the proceedings resumed.
Adalin was presented by the defense to testify on his personal knowledge of Davao City's tax declarations and property records, particularly the real property covered by Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT) No. 146-2024010775, which the defense sought to establish had been disclosed in Duterte's Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs).
During his testimony, Adalin confirmed that two properties in Juna Subdivision, Matina Crossing, Davao City, were registered under the name of Duterte's husband, Manases Carpio, with a combined market value of nearly P3.9 million.
However, Chua questioned the witness's inability to clearly establish whether the property being discussed was residential or commercial, despite photographs presented by the prosecution allegedly showing a business establishment.
The House prosecutor also questioned Adalin's response when asked whether he traveled to China in November last year, saying the witness could not recall the alleged trip.
“Nakita po natin yung unang testigo ng depensa na nuknukan ng sinungaling. Umpisang-umpisa pa lang, nakita naman po natin kung paano niya nais depensahan ang kanyang amo,” Chua said.
“Ito ang maliwanag na pagsisinungaling,” he added, further questioning how the witness could forget an alleged trip to China and how many other trips he might have taken.
The defense, meanwhile, maintains that the disputed property was properly disclosed in Duterte's SALNs, while the prosecution has challenged this claim, citing alleged discrepancies between the property documents and the Vice President's declarations.
The impeachment trial resumed on Monday after the House prosecution panel rested its case following 39 days of proceedings, with the defense beginning its presentation of witnesses and evidence to counter the remaining allegations against Duterte.
