Vice President Sara Duterte issued a statement on July 6, 2026, defending a respondent’s right to be represented by counsel rather than testify personally, hours before the Senate opened her impeachment trial in Pasay City.
“The opinion of a President in an impeachment proceeding is of no importance,” the statement read, arguing that proceedings must be guided by the Constitution and due process. Duterte said the decision to personally testify is a matter of legal strategy and constitutional rights, and that choosing to appear through counsel “does not diminish accountability or imply a lack of transparency.” She added that the burden remains on the prosecution to prove its case, and that the integrity of a trial depends on adherence to the rule of law rather than on whether a respondent takes the stand.
The statement closed with a pointed line: public officials, she said, “are best served by keeping their personal opinions to themselves and relying instead on the law, established policies, scientific evidence, and objective facts when addressing matters of public concern.”
The message landed amid mounting public pressure for Duterte to face the impeachment court in person. The Senate had summoned her to the July 6 opening, either personally or through counsel, in a notice signed by Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian on July 2. Ahead of the proceedings, Malacañang urged her to attend personally. Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro noted that Duterte had previously said she wanted a “bloodbath,” and said the trial would test her ability to answer questions and face the witnesses against her, as reported by GMA News Online.
Defense spokesperson Michael Poa, interviewed hours before the trial, declined to confirm whether the Vice President would personally appear, saying he did not want her attendance to overshadow the first day’s proceedings. House prosecution spokesperson Jay Tolosa said the prosecution would present its evidence and witnesses regardless of whether Duterte was present.
Duterte faces four Articles of Impeachment covering the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, unexplained wealth, bribery of DepEd officials, and grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family, according to Inquirer’s tally of the charges. She is the first Philippine official to be impeached twice by the House of Representatives, and has denied any wrongdoing, describing the case as politically motivated. A conviction on any single article requires 16 of the 24 senator-judges and would remove her from office and permanently bar her from public office, closing the door on a widely expected 2028 presidential run.
The trial opened at 2 p.m., with the first day devoted to procedural matters and opening statements rather than testimony. The Senate has approved 92 trial days for the proceedings.
