Vice President Sara Duterte publicly thanked the lawyers defending her in her ongoing Senate impeachment trial, describing them as committed to her cause even as the proceedings entered a difficult phase.
“Nagpapasalamat lang talaga ako dahil mayroong mga abogado na tinanggap ang aking kaso at they are diligent and passionate enough to defend me,” Duterte said in an ambush interview in Davao on Thursday, August 6, 2026, as reported by the Philippine Star.
The remarks came as the impeachment court took up Article I, the charge accusing Duterte of misusing P612.5 million in confidential funds — P500 million allocated to the Office of the Vice President and P112.5 million to the Department of Education during her tenure as education secretary between 2022 and 2023.
Duterte’s defense team is led by litigator Sheila Sison of the Fortun, Narvasa and Salazar law firm, with lawyer Michael Poa serving as spokesperson. The Vice President has not personally appeared at the Senate proceedings, opting instead to be represented by counsel.
In recent hearings, the House prosecution panel presented former Commission on Audit auditor Roderick Wamil, who testified that the audit body disallowed P40 million in confidential fund spending on medicines and P10 million on travel, finding these outside the allowable uses under the 2015 joint circular governing confidential and intelligence funds, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Wamil also testified that P125 million was disbursed within 11 days in December 2022. The defense has pushed back, with Poa presenting a budget release order showing that a previous vice president, Jejomar Binay, received confidential funds in 2014 — countering claims that Duterte was uniquely allocated such funds.
The trial, which opened on July 6, 2026, has entered its second month, with the Senate impeachment court on August 5 marking Day 13 of proceedings. On the same day, the Supreme Court en banc dismissed as moot the consolidated petitions filed by Duterte and several lawyers seeking to halt the trial.
