The Wire

The Department of National Defense announced on Tuesday that Lieutenant General Antonio Nafarrete has been appointed chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, replacing General Romeo Brawner Jr., who is retiring after three years in the role. Brawner is the first military chief to complete a fixed three-year term under a law passed in 2023.

Nafarrete, who was the Philippine Army's chief, will serve until July 2029 unless dismissed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. or his successor. Lieutenant General Donald Gumiran, currently commander of the Western Mindanao Command, has been appointed to replace Nafarrete as Army commander, Rappler reports.

The Senate Impeachment Court on Monday granted the House prosecution's request for subpoenas of Vice President Sara Duterte's peso bank accounts, tax records, and financial documents from 20 corporate entities and one law partnership, Reuters reports. The court denied requests to inspect foreign currency deposits and unlinked corporate entities, citing concerns about overreach. The documents, which relate to Article II charges of culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust involving allegations of undeclared wealth, are due to be submitted by July 30.

The court ruled the prosecution had established a prima facie connection between Duterte and the 20 entities through corporate filings and her own asset declarations, according to Senate Impeachment Spokesperson Reginald Tongol. Historical bank and tax records from 2007 to 2021 were also approved but strictly limited to use as a "factual comparative baseline" to determine if accumulated wealth is disproportionate, with no new independent charges permitted, the Philippine Star reports.

The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte continued on Tuesday, July 21, with the Senate impeachment court approving most of the prosecution's requests to subpoena Duterte's and her husband Man Carpio's bank, tax, and corporate records, covering at least 20 Duterte-linked companies.

Duterte is the first Philippine public official to be impeached twice by the House of Representatives. The trial, which began July 6, involves four articles of impeachment: alleged misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery of Department of Education officials, and grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family. Only 21 of 24 senator-judges are physically present; three senators face ICC or plunder charges, Rappler reports.

Teodoro is pushing back against the traditional passive role of defense attachés, arguing they should operate more assertively as strategic assets rather than merely liaison officers.

"I wish we really need to view defense attachés in a more proactive manner and not just as a support side or liaison alone," he said, signalling a shift in how the Philippines deploys military diplomacy.

The comment suggests the defense establishment is considering how to leverage defense attaché networks more actively to counter China's diplomatic and military messaging in the region.

Teodoro acknowledged the nine EDCA sites offer limited deterrent value against China, describing their benefit as "on the support side" rather than defensive capability. He signalled a strategic shift: "What we need is more a more clear focus on deterrence," suggesting the Philippines must develop independent military strength beyond the logistics support the US bases provide. The remarks reflect frustration that current infrastructure does not fully counter China's regional posture.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. confirmed the country is operating nine Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites with the United States. When asked whether the number was 10 or 12, Teodoro stated clearly: "9." The sites have drawn criticism from some lawmakers over Philippine sovereignty concerns, but Teodoro emphasized their logistics role in supporting Filipino military operations.

Teodoro distinguished between coordinated state-backed disinformation and organic pro-China sentiment among Filipinos, saying the latter is protected speech even in a security crisis.

"There are Filipinos going in pro-China arguments without any improper links and improper influence from China. It is acceptable in a democratic country," he said, noting such accounts "have no credibility anyway" given public revulsion at China's monkey-video depiction of Filipinos.

He framed the real threat as "cognitive warfare"—deliberate fake news on pandemic threats, disasters or unrest that could trigger "systemic failures." The government is working with social media companies to enforce rules against this disinformation without suppressing legitimate dissent.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has identified a critical infrastructure gap undermining the country's military buildup: the Philippines does not have adequate facilities to support the larger, more advanced ships already on order.

"We are behind in building our dry dock and other birthing facilities that can support the size of the new vessels that we are ordering," Teodoro said. "These are much, much bigger vessels than before."

The new ships will come equipped with anti-submarine warfare helicopters and vertical launch capabilities, requiring a modernised support ecosystem across the navy and air force. Teodoro also cited vulnerabilities in communications and data networks as barriers to deploying "more complex systems."

Teodoro argued the Philippines' transparency initiative—documenting incidents in the West Philippine Sea—is gaining ground against China's disinformation, because international audiences reject Beijing's narrative while Chinese leadership relies on controlling domestic belief.

"Just China would like to distort the narrative, nobody believes there except their own people," Teodoro said. "Which is more important [is that] the Chinese leadership, because they are dictatorships, want the transparency initiative to be shut down."

He framed free media as the key battleground for countering China's propaganda in the region, provided information remains authentic.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. identified a critical gap in the Philippines' military modernisation effort: the country does not have the foundational logistics and support systems needed to operate more sophisticated defence platforms.

"What we lack are basic infrastructure, basic logistics facilities and the support systems to sustain more complex equipment and platforms," Teodoro said. He cited ships as an example of equipment the Philippines has acquired but cannot fully sustain without these systems in place.

The admission frames the defence buildup challenge as not simply about acquiring weapons, but about the unglamorous—and costly—infrastructure needed to make them operational.

Teodoro characterized Beijing's approach to information warfare as systemic: "Everything for them is a staged act. That's why they keep on using the term 'play'—because everything for them is a staged act."

He was responding to questions about how the offensive China Daily video—depicting Filipinos as monkeys—differs from previous propaganda, and whether it signals imminent military action by the People's Liberation Army.

When asked what formal action the Philippine government will take ahead of this week's ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting — where China's representative will attend — Teodoro said the government's response will focus on expressing disapproval while maintaining discipline.

"I think it is incumbent upon all officials to express the selfie [sic] of the people," he said, indicating that Philippine officials will voice the public's anger at the racist imagery, though he stopped short of detailing concrete diplomatic or military countermeasures.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has offered a strategic interpretation of why Beijing released the dehumanising animation: the propaganda is designed to either "lay the foundation for some other action" by the People's Liberation Army or "to hide some action."

"It really goes against basic common sense," Teodoro said, "that you would wish to portray something else, that you are friendly. So we feel that this propaganda is aimed at their people in order to steal their support for some other action."

He described the video as part of "a series of acts" of aggressive propaganda by Chinese officials and media, not an isolated incident.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro says the China Daily video depicting Filipinos as monkeys is part of a broader propaganda strategy. "China uses propaganda either to lay the foundation for some other action or to hide some action," he told the broadcast. Teodoro characterized the offensive content as designed "to steal their support" from the Chinese public "for some other action," suggesting it may precede escalation by the People's Liberation Army in the South China Sea. He described it as part of "a series of acts" — including aggressive rhetoric from the Chinese Embassy and the ambassador — rather than an isolated incident.

Day 7 of impeachment trial centers on subpoenas, financial records and accountability

The court has withdrawn an earlier statement permitting the two bank officials to defer their appearance to Wednesday. According to the on-air proceeding, the subpoena stands requiring their attendance on July 21 and 22—the two scheduled trial days this week. The officials are Violeta San Constantino (Show Branch Manager) and Nita Campo Sano (Depth Ed Branch Manager), to be presented following the NBI Director's testimony tomorrow.

The prosecution told the Senate impeachment court it will present NBI Director attorney Mailman Matibag in tomorrow's session, followed by an official from the Legislative Archive Office of the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

Two bank officials are also expected to testify on Wednesday, the court heard. The prosecution is working within a compressed schedule: only Tuesday and Wednesday remain for witness testimony before the trial moves to closing arguments.

Senator Cayetano announced he will submit written objections to portions of the court's decision, saying "some parts we agree, some parts we disagree." He was joined by Senators Marcos, Legarda, and Villar Camille, all of whom signalled they will file formal written manifestations on the ruling, which will become part of the court record.

Senator Pia Cayetano has raised a substantive objection to the court's order to produce financial records spanning 2007–2026, arguing it extends well beyond VP Duterte's actual term in office (2022–2022). Cayetano said she has researched the legal precedent cited by prosecutors to justify the "baseline" rationale but signalled her position differs from the court's framing. The challenge suggests the defence may argue the scope is overbroad.

The court has rejected the prosecution's request for records from JTC Group of Companies, Philippine Sync and Philippine Corporation (also referred to as Piquimong in the transcript). The prosecution failed to establish a prima facie connection between these entities and either VP Duterte or her spouse, the court found, so the documents do not meet the relevance threshold under procedural rules.

The court has rejected the prosecution's request for records from JTC Group of Companies, Philippine Sync and Philippine Corporation (also referred to as Piquimong in the transcript). The prosecution failed to establish a prima facie connection between these entities and either VP Duterte or her spouse, the court found, so the documents do not meet the relevance threshold under procedural rules.

The impeachment court has rejected VP Duterte's argument that tax confidentiality laws block production of her income tax records. The court ruled that while the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) penalizes unauthorized disclosure of taxpayer information, it does not bar production of documents in legal proceedings — and impeachment authority overrides that restriction.

The court clarified that it is not determining tax deficiencies or civil liabilities (which remain the BIR's province), but exercising its constitutional mandate to determine public accountability. The respondent's reliance on NIRC Section 270 was overruled. Tax records may be opened for inspection only with presidential authorization, a foreign tax authority's request, or the taxpayer's waiver — but none of those limits applies here.

The impeachment court has rejected VP Duterte's argument that tax confidentiality laws block production of her income tax records. The court ruled that while the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) penalizes unauthorized disclosure of taxpayer information, it does not bar production of documents in legal proceedings — and impeachment authority overrides that restriction.

The court clarified that it is not determining tax deficiencies or civil liabilities (which remain the BIR's province), but exercising its constitutional mandate to determine public accountability. The respondent's reliance on NIRC Section 270 was overruled. Tax records may be opened for inspection only with presidential authorization, a foreign tax authority's request, or the taxpayer's waiver — but none of those limits applies here.

The court clarified its reasoning for allowing bank records spanning 14 years before Duterte took office: the documents are needed "to establish respondents financial baseline capacity only. Not to inquire in or prosecute alleged impeachable acts occurring outside the present art."

The court cited precedent from the 2012 Corona impeachment trial, where evidence of properties and transactions before the justice's appointment were similarly admitted to set a baseline for assessing assets during his term.

The court clarified its reasoning for allowing bank records spanning 14 years before Duterte took office: the documents are needed "to establish respondents financial baseline capacity only. Not to inquire in or prosecute alleged impeachable acts occurring outside the present art."

The court cited precedent from the 2012 Corona impeachment trial, where evidence of properties and transactions before the justice's appointment were similarly admitted to set a baseline for assessing assets during his term.