00:01An update on Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial, the prosecution drops more
00:06witnesses for the article of impeachment on grave threats. Vice President Sara Duterte opposes the
00:12prosecution's move to subpoena her and her husband's bank and tax records as well as an
00:16AMLAC report. A mother whose identity was allegedly stolen and used to build a pogo
00:21is set free after 21 months in detention. American marine biologist Kent Carpenter is
00:27shot dead in his home in Cibulan, Negros Oriental. And actress Bea Alonzo marries pure gold heir Vincent
00:33Co. The prosecution of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial drops more witnesses for the
00:46article of impeachment on grave threats, including the sheriff punched by Duterte. This comes after
00:51the prosecution dropped the Vice President's Chief of Staff, Zulaika Lopez, as a witness.
00:56The prosecution lays out whom they are dropping and why. Sheriff Abe Andres is dropped because
01:01lead prosecutor Jinky Luistro says both parties already acknowledged that the 2011 incident of
01:07Duterte punching Andres did happen. Journalists Mikhail Flores and Bons Magsambol are dropped,
01:12with Luistro saying NBI agent John Mark Calilong's testimony already proves the authenticity of the
01:18video of Duterte's threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. A PNP Firearms Office representative
01:23was dropped because Luistro claims the government showed it already took Duterte's threat against
01:28Marcos seriously. Meantime, the prosecution also drops a family member of a victim of Duterte's
01:33threat because NBI regional director Jeremy Lotok already testified that the threat is a private crime.
01:38A psychiatrist is also dropped as a witness because both parties already established the
01:43circumstances surrounding the authenticated video. Meantime, lead defense lawyer Sheila Cison says,
01:49lengthy manifestations on dropping of witnesses should not be inserted with conclusions.
01:53If the only intent treaty is just to withdraw witnesses, then perhaps it would better serve the
01:59purpose of aiding the speedy disposition of this case if that fact alone will, you know, be the only
02:07thing that will be mentioned without factual assertions or conclusions of facts or even
02:13interpretations of the law. Vice President Sara Duterte opposes the House prosecution's move to
02:20subpoena her and her husband's bank and tax records as well as an anti-money laundering council or AMLAC
02:25report. This after the House prosecution team asked the Senate impeachment court to compel the release of
02:31these records as part of the evidence. The second article of impeachment alleges that Duterte should be
02:36convicted over her alleged unexplained wealth stemming from alleged discrepancies between her bank records
02:42and her declared statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth or SAL-N. In a 32-page memorandum,
02:48Duterte's defense team argue the requests for the subpoenas are allegedly against the law,
02:52saying these violate the right of the respondent and her spouse to due process.
02:57The defense said due process must be present in the entire impeachment process, citing the 2025
03:02Supreme Court ruling that halted the impeachment process at the time. Duterte's lawyers also said
03:07her financial, banking, and tax records from periods outside her public service are irrelevant to the
03:12impeachment case. Citing RA-11521, the lawyers also argue absolute confidentiality exists in the AMLAC
03:20reports, analyses, and related documents. For her part, Duterte argues the prosecution cannot compel her to
03:26produce her bank records as this will be a violation of the right to bank secrecy. On her husband,
03:31Manassas Carpio's bank record, Duterte's lawyers argue that Carpio's marriage to her does not mean
03:36his records should also be subject to disclosure. On Wednesday, July 15, the Senate impeachment court
03:42goes into a caucus to decide whether to grant the House's request for the issuance of subpoenas.
03:47To consensus, they will vote on whether to issue the subpoenas Monday, July 20.
03:53A mother whose identity was allegedly stolen and used to build a company linked to a Philippine
03:58offshore gaming operator is finally free, at least for now. This after nearly two years in detention
04:03after a passing court ordered the reduction of her bail. Merly Joy Castro was released on Tuesday,
04:09July 14, after posting a reduced bail of 180,000 pesos and spending 21 months in jail. She was among
04:16the accused in the qualified human trafficking charge that stemmed from pogos related to Alice
04:21Ghost Pogo in Bamban, Tarlac. Castro surrendered to authorities on October 8, 2024, after her indictment.
04:28In 2025, the court acquitted Castro of qualified trafficking after prosecutors failed to prove
04:32she was involved in the incorporation of Hongsheng Gaming Technology Incorporated. But Castro remained
04:38in detention over a separate anti-money laundering case linked to the alleged misuse of her identity.
04:43She was unable to post the bail set by the court. Her freedom may be temporary as she still faces
04:48the money laundering case. Castro urges Filipinos not to forget Alice Guo and the Pogo operations,
04:53saying ordinary people like her became victims.
04:58American marine biologist Kent Carpenter, aged 73, is shot dead in his home in Cebulan, Negros Oriental.
05:05Carpenter was an expert witness for the Philippines in the 2016 Arbitral Award that affirmed the integrity
05:11of the country's exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea. Police confirmed three unidentified
05:16men forcibly entered Carpenter's residence and one shot him in the head while Carpenter's 34-year-old
05:22companion sustained injuries. Police Brigadier General Romano Cardiño called the killing a senseless
05:28act of violence. Carpenter provided expert written records on the environmental harms of China's
05:33reclamation and destructive fishing practices in the West Philippine Sea. The marine scientist also
05:39conducted extensive research in the Verde Island Passage and supported the call to designate the
05:44passage as a World Heritage Site. In a 2024 video, Carpenter said he had been studying the marine
05:49environment in the Philippines since 1975.
05:54Actress Bea Alonzo is now married to businessman Vincent Ko. Alonzo confirmed the news herself in an Instagram post on
06:01Wednesday, July 15.
06:02Their wedding was officiated by Makati Mayor Nancy Binay at a ceremony on Tuesday, July 14.
06:08Alonzo shared photos of her wedding and Ko showing off their wedding rings in front of Binay's office.
06:14Alonzo and Ko were reportedly supposed to exchange vows in Spain in May but their wedding was allegedly called off.
06:20The cancellation was rumored to have stemmed from unresolved issues involving their prenuptial agreement.
06:25Ko is the eldest child and only son of tycoons Lucio and Susan Ko who both rank in the top
06:3015 of Forbes' richest Filipinos list.
06:33Vincent Ko serves as the president of the leading retail chain Pure Gold.
06:37Alonzo in her own right is one of the wealthier Filipino actors.
06:40She was even recognized by the Bureau of Internal Revenue as one of the top celebrity taxpayers.
06:47And that's today's wrap. I'm JC Gotinga. Thank you for watching. Click the link below for the full story.
06:53For more updates, download the Rappler app.
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