Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team in the unexplained wealth case names law professor Dean Ralph Sarmiento as its first witness as the trial resumes next week. Both reports say the defense will call him to support the position that the prosecution’s accusations should not stand.
The outlets frame the decision as part of the defense’s plan to counter the charge, with one report noting that the trial is set to continue and another specifying that the defense lawyers informed the prosecution team of their intended witness list. One article emphasizes the defense team’s action in listing Sarmiento first, while the other adds context that Sarmiento is a former law dean and that he is expected to address legal and constitutional principles relevant to the impeachment-related proceedings referenced in the coverage. Neither article provides new evidence; they focus on the defense’s next procedural step and the identity of its opening witness.
