Sara Duterte to support Lopez on Day 5 of impeachment trial – Defense

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte may attend Tuesday’s impeachment trial to support her chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, who is set to testify as the House prosecution panel’s third witness before the impeachment court.

Defense spokesperson Michael Poa said this while confirming that Duterte may attend the fifth day of the trial.

“She isn’t sure yet if she can make it today due to scheduled meetings; she still has to see if she can catch up or not,” Poa said in Filipino.

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“So, just for everyone’s information, nothing is certain yet,” he added.

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According to Poa, Duterte is planning to go to the Senate to support her employees during the trial.

“We don’t have scheduled meetings, so it might be because she wants to provide support to her employees, which she always does—not just to her chief of staff but to everyone else,” Poa said.

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Asked if this also meant Duterte would attend the trial for the first time, Poa replied, “Probably.”

“It’s possible… I just don’t want to say so categorically because she isn’t certain yet. The last thing she told me was that she has several meetings scheduled, so it depends on whether any are still ongoing at that time,” he said in Filipino.

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Lopez will be presented as the House prosecution panel’s third witness against the vice president as the court examines Article IV of the impeachment complaint, which involves Duterte’s alleged assassination threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.

As of writing, Duterte has yet to arrive at the Senate. /mcm

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