Highlights: Day 1 of Sara Duterte impeachment trial

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate convened as an impeachment court for the first time against a sitting Philippine vice president, with Sara Duterte absent and an early prosecution motion rejected.

The Senate opened the historic impeachment trial of Duterte on Monday, July 6, marking the first time a sitting Philippine vice president has faced such proceedings.

The trial, which began at 2 p.m., is expected to span 92 trial days as senator-judges hear four Articles of Impeachment covering alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, unexplained wealth, constitutional violations, and betrayal of public trust.

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Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero was elected presiding officer of the impeachment court, a role he also held during the first, archived impeachment proceedings against Duterte in 2025.

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Escudero clarified in his opening remarks that at least 16 votes from senator-judges are needed for a conviction, given that three senators are currently unable to participate in the trial.

Duterte skipped the opening session, with defense spokesperson lawyer Michael Poa confirming she would appear through counsel instead.

Poa cited Duterte’s own statement that appearing only through counsel “does not diminish accountability or imply a lack of transparency.”

Duterte also dismissed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s suggestion that it would be “much easier” for her to appear personally, calling his opinion “of no importance” and saying the proceedings must be guided only by the Constitution.

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The first courtroom clash went to the defense.

Lead public prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro moved to have Duterte arraigned under Rule No. 7 of the Senate impeachment rules, which covers situations where a respondent fails to appear or respond, but the Senate impeachment court denied the motion.

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The prosecution had argued the four Articles of Impeachment should be formally read and a plea entered on Day 1.

The prosecution maintained that the trial should proceed even if Duterte were to resign, with spokesperson Benjamin Tolosa Jr. explaining that conviction carries two penalties: removal from office and perpetual disqualification from holding public office, and a resignation would address only the first.

Security was heavy throughout, with the Philippine National Police deploying 3,250 officers to the Senate premises and placing 2,900 more on standby. /dp

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Editor’s note: This update was generated with the aid of artificial intelligence based on Inquirer.net and Philippine Daily Inquirer articles and reviewed by a human editor.