VP Duterte's Office Seeks Special Conveniences for Senate Impeachment Trial

A hot seat may be awaiting Vice President Sara Duterte at the Senate impeachment trial court, but a place where she can cool down is also being prepared. The Office of the Vice President (OVP) has inquired about bringing its own equipment, including a refrigerator and coffee maker, to the holding area assigned to the defense, said Senate Secretary Renato Bantug on Thursday. Bantug told reporters that the OVP, through its chief of staff, Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez, also inquired whether it can get its own caterer. Bantug said the requests were among the administrative and housekeeping matters that Lopez raised during her visit to the Senate on Thursday. The first concern raised, according to Bantug, was the number of seats allotted to the defense team in the Senate plenary hall, where the trial is being held. The defense has been assigned 45 seats. “The second concern was in the holding area; they asked whether they could bring in their own equipment. ‘Of course.’ They asked if they could bring in a refrigerator and a coffee maker, and I said ‘yes.’ They also asked whether they could engage their own caterer, so ‘yes,’” Bantug said. In response to the Inquirer’s question whether the equipment and catering services were for the use of the Vice President alone, the whole defense team, or media covering the defense team, the OVP said they were for all, and for the purposes of coverage. Impeachment court spokesperson Regie Tongol on Friday said the Senate has indeed set aside a holding room for Duterte should she choose to personally attend the proceedings. He added that the holding room was prepared “to respect the office that she holds as well, and the stature that she has in our system of government.” Bantug said this was “not an unusual request.” “In the previous impeachment trial, I also coordinated with both panels and they also brought in some equipment,” he told the Inquirer. Bantug added that the prosecution has also contracted its own caterer and service providers. Lopez’s visit to the Senate drew attention because it came a day after the impeachment court granted the House prosecution panel’s request to subpoena her as one of its witnesses. Bantug, however, clarified that the meeting had been scheduled two days earlier. He said the impeachment case was not discussed during the meeting, adding that he met Lopez in his capacity as Senate secretary and not as clerk of court handling a trial matter. “Nothing about the case was discussed. Again, it was purely housekeeping, purely administrative,” Bantug said. He also clarified that he did not use the meeting to serve the subpoena on Lopez, who has been directed by the court to appear on July 13 and July 14. Bantug said Lopez did not indicate whether Duterte would attend the next trial day. He noted that security arrangements were discussed only in general terms should the Vice President decide to attend the trial or meet with her counsel at the Senate. Duterte showed up at the Senate on Tuesday, the second day of the trial, and faced the media briefly before meeting her counsel; she skipped the actual proceedings. She is facing impeachment over allegations of amassing unexplained wealth, bribery, misuse of confidential funds, and making grave threats against President Marcos, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez. —WITH A REPORT FROM PNA