Sara Duterte defense team seeks acquittal, calls impeachment 'ploy to oust VP'

The impeachment trial against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte has commenced, with her defense team asserting that the articles of impeachment are "the product of impermissible intrusion of clear constitutional boundaries" and a ploy by political rivals to oust the second-highest official elected by over 32 million Filipinos. Atty. Sheila Sison, in her opening remarks, stressed that the burden of proof lies with the prosecution, arguing that Duterte should be acquitted if the prosecution fails to discharge its burden. "The clear objective behind these allegations is to remove the vice president who was elected by 32 million Filipinos on their own free will," Sison stated. "The burden of proof is on the prosecution, and unless it discharges that burden, the accused need not even offer evidence on her behalf, and she will be entitled to an acquittal. This is the law then. This is the law now," she added. Sison further alleged that Duterte's impeachment case is tainted by constitutional violations, claiming that House prosecutors conducted a "mini-trial" against the Vice President. She described this as "a vast fishing expedition of alleged evidence that were not even part of the impeachment complaints under its consideration, and which the respondent accused was made to answer." She reminded that the House merely initiates impeachment cases, while the Senate is tasked to try them. "In that mini-trial, we saw how the purported pieces of evidence were curated to construct a narrative against the Vice President even before this case reaches trial," Sison said. "The articles of impeachment presented before this Court as an exercise of the House's power to initiate impeachment cases are, therefore, in sober truth, the product of an impermissible intrusion of clear constitutional boundaries," she added. According to Sison, House prosecutors would attempt to use pieces of evidence to convince the impeachment court and the public to rule against Duterte. This includes allegations of misuse of confidential funds, which she said were approved by the Department of Budget for the Office of the President. She noted that these narratives have been heard since 2024, during the House's quadcom hearings and more recently the committee on justice's mini-trial, but emphasized the fundamental legal principle that the burden of proof never shifts. Sison said Duterte should enjoy the presumption of innocence under the Bill of Rights, adding that the burden of proof always rests with the accuser. "The Bill of Rights applies to the entire impeachment process, because in as much as our court recognizes that impeachment is a political process, it reminds us that it is not a purely political process, but a legal and constitutional mechanism," she said. "Thus, if we are to uphold the rule of law, serve justice, and invoke the accountability mechanism, then this court and we as a people must guarantee that all efforts to hold our leaders accountable must be done right. This we must not forget." Meanwhile, the Vice President's defense team expressed satisfaction with the first day of impeachment proceedings. "Actually, we're very happy with the way the first day of trial went. I think on both sides it went smoothly," lawyer Michael Poa, one of Duterte's legal counsels, told reporters. "Obviously, there were arguments...but again, it's normal. Talaga namang inaasahan na magkakaroon nang ganiyang opposing views ang bawat panig, but so far, I think it was a good first day for everyone." Poa added, "We're not the type to think who scored more or not. I think it's as long as we present our case and we present what we want to present for the day, we're happy." Duterte is facing impeachment charges for alleged culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, bribery, and other high crimes. She was impeached by the House of Representatives for the second time in May. On May 18, the Senate convened as an impeachment court. On June 1, Duterte's camp filed their answer to the Articles of Impeachment, asking the court to junk the case. Source: GMA News Philippines