Impeachment Watch: The last stop before Sara Duterte’s trial

Impeachment Watch: The last stop before Sara Duterte’s trial

MANILA, Philippines — The impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte move into crucial phase as the impeachment court holds a pre-trial conference on Thursday.

Whatever happens in today’s proceeding, which may appear procedural, will pave the way for the formal trial scheduled on July 6.

This is the final major step before senator-judges begin hearing evidence and arguments from the prosecution and defense teams that could determine Duterte’s political future.

Why the pre-trial conference matters

A pre-trial conference is not where the prosecution and defense battle over the guilt or innocence, but was designed to streamline the impeachment trial and prevent unnecessary delays once the trial begins.

At this stage, prosecutors from the House of Representatives, together with private litigators and lawyers representing Duterte, are expected to discuss procedural matters, identify issues to be resolved, and agree on evidence that may no longer be disputed.

The conference also allows both sides to submit witness lists, mark documentary evidence, and raise preliminary motions that could affect the conduct of the trial.

During the pre-trial conference, both the House prosecution panel and Duterte’s defense counsel will also set trial dates, sequencing of the presentation of evidence and possible modification of the order of trial.

Here’s the rundown of what happened that led to this day:

The Sara Duterte impeachment moved from House vote to Senate pre-trial brief submission in just over a month, hitting every major procedural milestone between May 11 and June 15, 2026.

On April 29, the House committee on justice found sufficient ground to impeach Duterte.

READ: House justice panel finds probable cause to impeach Sara Duterte

Voting 257 against 25 and nine abstentions, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Duterte on May 11, surpassing the one-third constitutional threshold of 106 votes.

READ: VP impeached; House gets 257 votes to start trial

On May 14, the House formally transmitted the four Articles of Impeachment to the Senate with Secretary General Cheloy Garafil overseeing the transmittal.

READ: House: ‘Articles of impeachment’ vs Sara Duterte sent to Senate

The Senate convened as an impeachment court on May 18, with senator-judges taking their oaths in red robes, formally opening the trial and bidding Duterte to answer the charges.

READ: VP impeachment trial on as Senate convenes court

Security at the Senate was tightened ahead of the VP’s response deadline, as her camp prepared to submit its answer.

READ: Senate security tightened for Sara Duterte’s response to impeach raps

The Senate impeachment court set a deadline of 7 p.m. on Monday, June 1, for Duterte to file her answer, which she submitted through her lawyers on that date.

READ: VP Sara must file impeachment response until 7 p.m. Monday

Her lawyers filed the answer seeking dismissal of the articles of impeachment, with Duterte indicating readiness to appear “if necessary” during the trial.

READ: Sara Duterte to Senate: Junk impeachment raps

Both the House prosecution panel and Duterte’s defense camp filed their pre-trial briefs with the Senate on June 15, 2026, containing summaries of witnesses, evidence, and arguments./dp

READ: House panel, Sara Duterte camp file pre-trial briefs with Senate