Pre-trial order for Sara Duterte impeachment case out by Monday — Bantug

The Senate impeachment court is set to issue the pre-trial order on the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, June 29, 2026.

Senate Secretary and Senate impeachment court clerk Renato Bantug Jr. on Friday said they are now drafting the pre-trial order following the conclusion of the pre-trial conference, which lasted for five session days.

“Sinisimulan na namin ngayon ang draft ng pre-trial order and may nilabas na parang advisory memorandum si Senate President [Sherwin Gatchalian] kagabi sa mga senators that we will issue the pre-trial order on Monday,” Bantug told reporters in a phone interview.

(We are now starting to draft the pre-trial order. SP Gatchalian also issued a memorandum to the senators, saying the pre-trial order will be issued by Monday.)

“The staff will be working through the weekend para mailabas namin yung pre-trial order sa Lunes,” he said.

(The staff will be working through the weekend so we can meet the Monday deadline.)

The pre-trial order will serve as the roadmap for Duterte's impeachment trial, taking into account the position of both the House prosecution panel and Duterte’s defense team in the facts, witnesses, and trial dates related to the case.

Copies of the document will be first distributed to the parties and they will be given until Wednesday, July 1 to issue their comment, Bantug added.

“Kaya naman matapos lahat before July 6. Yung mga corrections naman dyan, mainly I would suppose formal, hindi naman siguro magiging substantive because we will try to be as accurate as we can,” he said.

(We can finish that by July 6. The corrections, I suppose, will be formal and not substantive because we will try to be as accurate as we can.)

“Of course, yung sa mga marking, we will endeavor, sisikapin namin na walang mali doon, na walang inaccuracy. But sa dami noon, kailangan ma-review din nang husto yung mga pre-mark evidence,” he added.

(Of course, we will endeavor to be accurate for the marking. But the documents are voluminous so the pre-marked evidence should also be thoroughly reviewed.)

The pre-trial conference, in which thousands of documentary evidence were pre-marked for Duterte’s impeachment case, formally started on June 18. It concluded on June 25 after five sessions days.

Impeachment trial schedule

The Senate impeachment court is set to start Duterte’s trial for her impeachment case on July 6.

Bantug said the impeachment trial will be held every Mondays to Wednesday at 2 p.m. before the fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on July 27. It will be adjusted to Tuesdays to Thursdays at 2 p.m. after the SONA.

Duterte is facing impeachment charges over allegations of culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, bribery, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes.

The Senate convened as an impeachment court on May 18. On June 1, Duterte's camp filed its answer to the Articles of Impeachment, urging the court to dismiss the case. — RSJ, GMA News