On Monday, July 6, the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte officially began.
With Sen. Jinggoy Estrada in Quezon City Jail, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa in hiding, and Sen. Rodante Marcoleta only having been arrested Monday morning, the 21-member Senate convened in the afternoon to commence the trial of Duterte, who faces four charges: misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery, and assassination threat.
Duterte did not appear at the session, but her defense team was in attendance. Defense spokesperson Atty. Michael Poa explained that Duterte was “in a planning session” with the Office of the Vice President.
Escudero Returns as Presiding Officer
After a lengthy debate, the senator-judges voted 12-8 to make Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero the presiding officer of the trial in a motion put forward by Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson. The trial was briefly suspended afterward to allow Escudero to ascend the rostrum. This was followed by speeches from Sens. Pia Cayetano, Robin Padilla, Loren Legarda, and Imee Marcos, who had voted against Escudero’s election and argued that it was unconstitutional.
Escudero had also served as the presiding officer in Duterte’s first trial in 2025 and led the Senate when it voted to archive the article of impeachment. He was criticized for allegedly delaying impeachment proceedings against Duterte that year.
Who’s Leading the Defense and Prosecution Teams?
Batangas 2nd District Representative Gerville “Jinky” Luistro leads the House prosecution team, which includes Congs. Joel Chua, Leila de Lima, Lorenz Defensor, Chel Diokno, Keith Flores, Rodge Gutierrez, Terry Ridon, Lordan Suan, Bel Zamora, and Kaka Bag-ao. The legal counsel to the prosecution, also called private prosecutors, are:
- Atty. Marforth Fua
- Atty. Lorna Kapunan
- Atty. Theodore Te
- Atty. Sonya Benemerito-Castillo
- Atty. Mae Divinagracia
- Atty. Amando Ligutan
- Atty. Deanna Melissa Lorenzo-Singian
- Atty. Lino Chris Kapunan
- Atty. Bettina Zamora
- Atty. Erwin Matib
- Atty. Justine Anne Lamarca
- Atty. James Bryan Ibrahim Alih
- Atty. Reynaldo Robles
- Atty. Arnold Labay
Former Cong. Ace Barbers, Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, and Kabataan Partylist Rep. Renee Co serve as spokespersons of the team. Barbers is also an adviser.
On the other hand, Duterte’s defense team led by Atty. Sheila Sison is joined by the following:
- Atty. Michael Poa
- Atty. Gregorio Narvasa II
- Atty. Philip Sigfrid Fortun
- Atty. Kristine Ferrer
- Atty. Carlo Joaquin Narvasa
- Atty. Justin Nicol Gular
- Atty. David Ronell Golla VII
- Atty. Lindon Miguel Bacquel
- Atty. Karol Grace Oroceo
- Atty. Clarlaine Radoc
- Atty. Francesca Marie Flores
- Atty. Miguel Carlos Fernandez
- Atty. Mark Vinluan
- Atty. Ralph Bodota
- Atty. Roberto Batungbacal
As the burden of proof falls on the prosecution, 62 days of the trial period will be allotted to the prosecution’s presentation of evidence, while 30 days will be allotted to the defense. The trial will run for a total of 92 days. The impeachment court is set to begin tackling the grave threats charge against Duterte on Tuesday, July 7.
Frequently Asked Questions
In the articles of impeachment transmitted to the Senate, the House of Representatives charged Sara Duterte with the following: misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery, and assassination threat.
Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta were detained due to separate cases of plunder. Marcoleta was arrested on the morning of July 6, the first day of Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
On July 6, the first day of Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero was elected presiding officer on a 12-8 vote. Before this, Sen. Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian stood as presider, replacing former Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, who was the first to be sworn in as presider in this impeachment trial.
In an impeachment trial, two-thirds of the senator-judges constitute a majority. Senator and presiding officer Chiz Escudero says that with a total of 24 members, it would take 16 senator-judges to decide whether Duterte is removed from office.
From July 6 to July 22, impeachment trial proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte will be held from Monday to Wednesday at 2 p.m. After the State of the Nation Address on July 27, the trial will be held from Tuesday to Thursday at 3 p.m., starting July 28. The trial is set to run for a total of 92 days.
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