September 21, 2026

Introduction

This is Working Draft's audio overview of the Impeachment Trial of Vice President Sara Duterte for September 21, 2026. This is a working reference, not an official Senate record.

The day's proceeding

On September 21, the impeachment court heard the prosecution's direct examination of Atty. Gerardo F. del Rosario, the Securities and Exchange Commission's Company Registration and Monitoring Department Director, as its third Article II witness. He described corporate filings concerning Metro City Chow, GenCorp Industries and CALE88. The court directed advance distribution of tables and summaries, and deferred cross-examination to the next sitting.

Metro City Chow records

Del Rosario explained that his department keeps certified corporate records. On Metro City Chow, he testified that the filings identified Vice President Sara Duterte as an incorporator and director with a subscription representing 20 percent, and later as a board member and executive-compensation-committee member.

What the GenCorp filings did and did not show

On GenCorp Industries, Del Rosario testified that the filings did not list the Vice President as an incorporator, director or stockholder. He said nominee and trust arrangements can exist, but he could not determine an arrangement's intent from the records before him. His office also did not have access to beneficial-ownership forms.

Summaries and advance disclosure

Defense counsel Atty. Justin Nicol B. Gular objected to prosecution summaries that the defense had only recently received, arguing that company-capital figures and titles could be read as the Vice President's own figures. Sen. Francis Pangilinan proposed advance distribution of tables and summaries. After Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano raised the title issue, the chair said only the title should be changed and asked the technical team to adjust it. The court then allowed the presentation because it showed company data separately from the Vice President's holdings.

Documentary limits and rulings

The court limited identification of Pikimong Philippines and JTC Group records until a connection to the Vice President could be shown in a later subpoena request, while accepting the parties' stipulation on certified copies for other corporations. Later, the chair sustained a defense objection to describing companies without filed audited financial statements as having no declared dividends, then overruled the request to strike the illustration while noting the objection.

Senator-judge questions

Senator-judges examined the SEC witness about the corporate records. Sen. Francis "Chiz" G. Escudero asked about incorporation, reported dividends and trust arrangements. Sen. Risa Hontiveros asked about dividends, losses, income and divestment records. Sen. Joel Villanueva asked about GenCorp, the Vice President's SALN, trust arrangements and beneficial ownership. Del Rosario answered from SEC-held records and identified their limits.

The close of direct examination

At the end of direct examination, the court accepted two corporate-information summaries for marking. It also directed that the word "misrepresentation" be replaced with "inaccuracies" in the prosecution's proposed language. The defense cross-examination of Del Rosario was deferred to the next day so counsel could prepare and the court could begin earlier.

What comes next

Prosecution counsel Atty. Erwin G. Matib said BIR representatives would testify about annual income-tax returns at a later stage. The prosecution also requested subpoenas for Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, Atty. Gary Samonte and Police Major Joe Rickson Sanggalang for September 28 through 30. The court adjourned until September 22 at 10 a.m.

Closing

Each substantive point in this overview links to the reviewed transcript and the official Senate video. This has been the September 21, 2026 audio overview.