MindaNews / 7 July 2026 — Presiding Senator-Judge Chiz Escudero denied the motion of defense counsel Atty. Carlo Narvasa to exclude NBI Senior Agent John Mark Calilung as a witness in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Calilung, the first witness presented by the prosecution, testified on Article IV of the impeachment complaint (Assassination Plot, Grave Threats, and Inciting to Sedition Against the President) during the trial’s second day on July 7.
Narvasa argued that Calilung was not listed as a witness in the Saballa and Cabrera impeachment complaint or the Articles of Impeachment received by the court. However, Atty. Amando Virgil Ligutan, counsel for the prosecutors, countered that the trial is separate from the Saballa complaint, which has “already lived its natural life.” He added that Calilung was listed in the pre-trial order.
Escudero denied the motion, citing a Supreme Court ruling in Enrile vs Sandiganbayan, which stated that prosecutors may rely on evidence not explicitly listed in the Articles of Impeachment, as only a summary is required.
Calilung, a digital forensics expert, authenticated a Facebook video where Vice President Duterte allegedly stated that she had contracted an assassin to target President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez should anything happen to her. (H. Marcos C. Mordeno / MindaNews)
