Defense witness confirms China trip

MANILA, Philippines– Davao City Assessor Jaime Adalin on Monday verified that he took a trip to China on Jan. 25, 2026, as senator-judges questioned his regular abroad journeys and how he might manage them on a reported month-to-month wage of roughly P120,000.

Throughout the 40th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, Senator-Judge Raffy Tulfo questioned Adalin about his reported journeys to China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Australia going back to 2018.

“Where did you take a trip on January 25, 2026?” Tulfo asked.

Adalin stated he consulted his workplace and verified that he had actually certainly taken a trip to China.

“I asked our workplace to confirm it, and certainly, we took a trip to China,” the assessor stated.

Tulfo likewise asked Adalin about a supposed journey on Nov. 12, 2018. The witness stated he might not remember having any record of that specific journey.

Tulfo stated he might supply CCTV video revealing Adalin’s supposed journey to China on Nov. 12, 2018, aboard flight PR356. He explained that the witness remained in China for just 2 days.

The senator-judge likewise mentioned Adalin’s reported journeys to Hong Kong, Thailand and Australia, questioning how the department head might regularly take a trip abroad.

Senator-Judge Risa Hontiveros pushed Adalin for more information about his January 2026 journey to China, consisting of the locations he went to and the individuals who accompanied him.
Adalin repeated that he took a trip to China with other Davao City federal government department heads. He stated he might no longer keep in mind the particular locations they checked out.

When Hontiveros asked him to call a minimum of 3 locations in China that he had actually gone to, Adalin said sorry and preserved that he might not remember them.

Asked whether he had actually checked out Beijing, he responded, “I believe we might have gone there.