Court orders SEC official to testify on records of VP Sara's business interests - GMA Network

The Senate impeachment court has issued a modified order for Gerardo del Rosario, Company Registration and Monitoring Department (CRMD) Director of the state-run Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to testify before the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero reissued the subpoena upon the request of House prosecutor Terry Ridon of Bicol Saro party-list on Tuesday, after Ridon asked for the rescheduling of del Rosario’s testimony to next week, citing voluminous documents involved.

Had del Rosario proceeded to take the witness stand in Tuesday, September 15, he could have only testified for one hour since the previous witness for the prosecution, Office of the Ombudsman official Karen Batu, was only discharged shortly before 2 p.m.

“Attorney Del Rosario will appear [for his testimony] on 21st and 22nd [of September at 10 in the morning,” Escudero said.

During the House justice panel deliberations on the impeachment complaints against the Vice President, Gerardo said that Vice President Sara Duterte was listed as a stockholder and member of the board of directors of a Davao-based private company from 2022 to 2025 while she is already the Vice President.

Citing the General Information Sheet (GIS) of Metro City Chow Foods Corp., del Rosario said then that the name “Sara Z. Duterte” appeared as a stockholder holding 500 shares and as a member of the board of directors during the period.

Article 7, Section 13 of the 1987 Constitution states that the President, Vice President, Cabinet members, and their deputies or assistants “shall not hold any other office or employment during their tenure, unless otherwise provided in the Constitution.”

It also prohibits them from practicing any profession, participating in any business, or having a financial interest in contracts, franchises, or special privileges granted by the government or its subdivisions, agencies, or instrumentalities, including government-owned or controlled corporations and their subsidiaries. — BM, GMA News