Duterte on impeachment ‘bloodbath’: ‘I will be bloodied but unbowed’

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday once again referred to her impeachment trial as a “bloodbath,” this time adding that she expects to be “bloodied but unbowed.”

Duterte delivered this in a short statement upon arriving at the Senate to convene with her lawyers for a supposed meeting.

READ: Sara Duterte won’t attend impeachment trial despite being at Senate

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“In this bloodbath and bludgeoning, I will be bloodied but unbowed,” she told reporters. The phrase directly mirrors a famous line from William Ernest Henley’s poem, “Invictus” — a work with its theme of resilience, refusing to surrender in the face of adversity.

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To recall, it was in May 2025 when she first expressed that she wanted the impeachment trial to proceed because she wanted a “bloodbath.”

This particular pronouncement of hers, however, was repeatedly challenged and criticized by critics and political rivals, especially after she famously snubbed most of the House impeachment proceedings against her both in 2025 and 2026.

In fact, parallel to this history of snubbing proceedings, Duterte — despite already being at the Senate — will also once again be absent on the second day of her impeachment trial.

According to one of her defense lawyers, Atty. Michael Poa, Duterte arrived at the Senate on Tuesday to convene with all of her counsel for a meeting.

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Duterte is currently facing several allegations that risk her being removed from office and perpetually disqualified from holding any public office.

These allegations are contained in four Articles of Impeachment, particularly:

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Article I: Alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President, or P500 million, and the Department of Education, or DepEd, amounting to P112.5 million.

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.

The trial is expected to run 92 days, which means it may extend until early 2027, with conviction requiring the vote of at least two-thirds of all senator-judges under the 1987 Constitution. /das

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