Sara Duterte Skips Impeachment Trial Opening, Cites Typhoon Preparations

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte will not attend the opening of her impeachment trial on Monday, July 6, her defense team confirmed. Michael Poa, spokesperson for Duterte's defense, stated that the Vice President is currently engaged in planning sessions for Super Typhoon Bavi (local name "Inday") with her office. Poa confirmed he had spoken with her minutes before the press conference, which was held less than an hour before the trial's scheduled 2 p.m. start. Duterte is the first vice president to face an impeachment trial and the only official to have been impeached twice by the House of Representatives. The Senate, acting as an impeachment court, will try her on four articles of impeachment: alleged misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery, and threats to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez. She has denied all allegations. Conviction on any single article, requiring the votes of 16 out of 24 senator-judges, would result in her removal from office and permanent disqualification from public service, effectively ending any possibility of a presidential run in 2028, which she announced in February. Responding to the prosecution's assertion that her absence constituted an evasion of public responsibility, Poa disagreed. He stated that Duterte has long been confronting the case and had formed a defense team "a long time ago because she knew it would come to this." When pressed on how her absence aligns with her previous pronouncements of wanting a "bloodbath," Poa replied, "She is ready and that's why we're here today. We've been preparing for... more than a year now. So I don't think there's anything to reconcile there." Poa did not specify whether Duterte would attend future hearings, only that the defense would assess if her "physical presence" becomes necessary depending on the proceedings. He declined to comment on the circumstances that would compel her to appear, calling it "part of legal strategy." Duterte's absence occurs despite pressure from both the prosecution and Malacañang (the presidential palace) for her to appear in person. She had previously snubbed the House clarificatory hearings on her impeachment in May 2026, with her camp stating at the time that she would only address the allegations in the Senate. President Marcos, speaking to reporters in Vancouver over the weekend, commented that if he were in her position, he would insist on appearing even against his lawyers' advice. This prompted a direct response from Duterte today, who released a statement saying, "The opinion of a President in an impeachment proceeding is of no importance."