Sara Duterte yet to confirm impeachment trial attendance — Gatchalian

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte’s attendance at her impeachment trial remains uncertain, as she and her camp have yet to confirm whether she will appear before the impeachment court on Monday, July 6.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian confirmed this after his first flag ceremony as the chamber’s head, ahead of the first day of Duterte’s trial.

Asked whether the impeachment court had received confirmation of Duterte’s attendance, Gatchalian said in Filipino: “None yet. We were monitoring this morning. We haven’t been told anything.”

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The impeachment court invited the vice president or her lawyer to attend the trial proper.

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READ: Gatchalian: Senate ready for all scenarios

Gatchalian assured the public that the Senate is prepared should Duterte attend the trial.

“We have been preparing for any eventuality. That’s why we have these arrangements outside,” he said in Filipino.

Gatchalian was referring to the police officers securing the Senate perimeter.

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The Philippine National Police had previously committed to deploying around 6,000 police officers to the Senate throughout the impeachment trial.

According to the impeachment court, the trial may last seven to eight months, with 92 trial days allotted to tackle all four articles.

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The impeachment articles are as follows:

Article I: Alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education (DepEd) combined.

Article II: Alleged unexplained wealth, failure to truthfully disclose assets in Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, or SALNs, from 2022 to 2024, and failure to divest and willful continued business interests.

Article III: Alleged bribery and procurement irregularities involving DepEd officials.

Article IV: Alleged assassination threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

/mcm

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