Sara Duterte impeachment trial begins

All eyes are now on the Senate as it begins Monday afternoon the historic impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

The Senate convened as an impeachment court past 2 p.m., with 21 senators present in the session hall.

The senators wore their respective maroon robes for senator-judges.

Also in the plenary hall are members of the House prosecution panel and Duterte's defense team.

Shortly before the start of the proceedings, defense lawyer Atty. Michael Poa said Duterte will not attend the formal opening of the impeachment court as she opted to appear before her legal counsel.

To recall, the Senate impeachment court summoned Duterte to appear at the formal opening of her impeachment trial on Monday, July 6. This was pursuant to Rule 7 of the Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Trials and in accordance with the writ of summons issued against her on May 19.

The House prosecution panel said Monday it would first present evidence on Duterte's alleged threat against President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and his family, saying it wants to underscore that "impunity is not acceptable."

The prosecution was referring to Duterte's expletive-laden online press conference in November 2024.

Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co, one of the prosecution panel's spokespersons, said the panel chose to present this article of impeachment first because it wants to send a strong message against impunity.

"Regardless of who was allegedly contracted to carry out the assassination or who the intended targets were, we do not want that. We do not want to hear a public official saying that such a plan exists or that someone has been asked to carry it out," she said at a press conference.

Duterte, who is facing impeachment charges over allegations of culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, bribery, and other high crimes, was impeached by the House of Representatives for the second time on May 11.

She was first impeached by the lower chamber on February 5, 2025, but the Supreme Court back then declared the Articles of Impeachment against her unconstitutional.

On May 18, the Senate convened again as an impeachment court. Senators took their oaths as judges, days after receiving the Articles of Impeachment from the House of Representatives.

On June 1, Duterte's camp filed its answer to the Articles of Impeachment, asking the court to junk the impeachment case against her.

The trial will initially be held weekly from Monday to Wednesday at 2 p.m. until the fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on July 27. After the SONA, proceedings will shift to Tuesdays to Thursdays at 2 p.m. — VDV, GMA News