Senate convenes as impeachment court for VP Sara Duterte trial
The Senate has convened as an impeachment court, beginning the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Senators donned their Oxford crimson robes on May 18, with Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano taking his oath as the presiding officer of the impeachment court while the 22 other lawmakers present made their pledges as senator-judges. Sen. Bato Dela Rosa, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, was absent from today's proceedings.
During the solemn ceremony at the Plenary Hall of the Senate on May 18, they affirmed:
"I, [name], solemnly swear that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of Vice President Sarah Zimmerman Duterte, now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and the laws of the Philippines. So help me God."
Cayetano has also ordered Duterte to appear before the Senate. She has 10 calendar days to respond to the summons, which she'll receive alongside the articles of impeachment. The prosecution has five days to file a reply from receipt of the answer.
The case is to be scheduled for pre-trial after the last pleading is filed. Trial proper shall commence at a date or time determined by the court, with the party duly notified.
On Monday, May 11, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Duterte, making her the first official in the history of the Philippines to be impeached twice.
House lawmakers voted 257 in favor of impeachment during its first regular session. Twenty-five voted against impeachment, and nine abstained.
The VP is facing allegations of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, corruption, and other high crimes.
If they find her guilty of the charges, Duterte will be removed from her current post and permanently barred from holding public office.
The 11-member House prosecution panel in the Senate impeachment trial includes representatives Gerville Luistro, Jonathan Keith Flores, Bel Zamora, Lorenz Defensor, Joel Chua, Leila de Lima, Chel Diokno, Terry Ridon, Rodge Gutierrez, Kaka Bag-ao, and Lordan Suan.
The Senate last convened as an impeachment court for the trial of Duterte in June 2025. It voted to archive the said complaint after the Supreme Court ruled that an article of impeachment against Duterte was unconstitutional, as it violated the one-year bar rule and due process.
