Pre-trial conference for Sara Duterte impeachment trial starts

The pre-trial conference for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte formally commenced on Thursday, June 18.

Members of Duterte's defense team and House prosecutors arrived at the Senate for the pre-trial conference. Dinagat Islands Representative Kaka Bag-Ao, who is part of the House prosecution panel, was unable to attend.

"It's a normal process naman so it's really stipulation of facts and simplification of issues," lawyer Michael Poa, Duterte's legal counsel, told reporters.

The pre-trial serves as the initial gathering of both panels before the senator-judges formally convene the impeachment court on Juy 6.

Duterte is facing impeachment charges over allegations of culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, bribery, and other high crimes. In May, she was impeached by the House of Representatives for the second time

On May 18, the Senate convened as an impeachment court. On June 1, Duterte's camp filed their answer on the Articles of Impeachment, asking the court to junk the impeachment case against her.

The pre-trial conference comes a day after the Senate leadership standoff came to close with the election of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian as the new Senate president. His predecessor, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, conceded that he already lost the presidency after two of his allies jumped ship to the Gatchalian bloc.

Senator Panfilo Lacson has said that members of the new Senate majority bloc have initially agreed to elect Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero as the presiding officer of the Senate impeachment court. — VDV, GMA News