VICE-PRESIDENT (VP) Sara Duterte-Carpio is ready to face the Senate impeachment court, her office said on Wednesday, even as her legal team pursues lawsuits to stop the trial and dismiss what they describe as a “defective” complaint.
“The Vice-President said she wants to go to trial,” Office of the Vice-President (OVP) spokesperson Ruth B. Castelo told a news briefing on Wednesday. “She’s eager to be able to present her case, or her evidence, in the impeachment court so that once and for all, all doubts cast on her will go away.”
The House of Representatives impeached Ms. Duterte, a likely contender in the 2028 presidential race, in February on charges of budget misuse, unexplained wealth, and allegedly conspiring to assassinate President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., his wife, and Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez. She has denied all accusations.
The impeachment complaint gained the support of more than 200 congressmen — well beyond the constitutional threshold of one-third required to elevate the case to the Senate for trial.
Her legal team has questioned the legality of the impeachment, arguing before the Senate that the House violated the constitutional one-year bar on initiating more than one impeachment complaint against the same official. Two petitions have also been filed before the Supreme Court to halt the proceedings.
“In this case, the lawyers or the Vice-President are taking legal remedies, legal strategies that are allowable in our system,” Ms. Castelo said. “The Vice-President will just wait for whatever decision the Supreme Court issues on this one. And should the impeachment trial go as planned, the Vice-President is prepared.”
The Supreme Court consolidated the two petitions on July 8 and ordered the House and Senate to respond. Ms. Duterte’s supporters claim her right to due process was violated during House proceedings.
Ms. Castelo said halting the impeachment trial would save public funds.
“If the Supreme Court says it cannot be heard at this time, then we’ll be very lucky actually… as we’ll save millions and millions of money on a trial that is technically defective from the very beginning,” she said. “Let’s not waste the country’s resources. There are more important things we need to spend on.”
The Senate is expected to convene as an impeachment court shortly after the 20th Congress opens. A recent Social Weather Stations survey found that six in 10 Filipinos think the Vice-President should face trial and respond to the charges in the Senate.
Support for the trial was strongest in Metro Manila, where 76% backed the move. It was followed by Luzon at 69% and the Visayas at 67%. Mindanao, Ms. Duterte’s political stronghold, registered the lowest support at 55%.
The Philippine Senate is eyeing Aug. 4 as the new date to reconvene as an impeachment court, Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva separately told reporters.
He said the Senate needs time to finalize committee chairmanships and leadership roles for the 20th Congress, which opens on July 29. “In my discussion with other senators and Senate President Francis G. Escudero, once we are able to organize the leadership and committees, perhaps we are looking at Aug. 4.”
The Senate was originally expected to convene as an impeachment court on July 29, a day after Congress opens. Senator-judges must take their oath before the trial begins.
Earlier, Senate President Escudero expressed intent to stick with the original schedule, saying the court would “no longer tolerate any dilatory motion or pleading.”
However, the proposed Aug. 4 schedule would give both chambers more time to settle internal matters, Mr. Villanueva said.
“Then, the week after, we can convene the impeachment court and have the defense and prosecution present their cases,” he said. “By Aug. 4, the new roster of senator-judges will take their oaths.” — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio and Adrian H. Halili
