The House impeachment team today appeared before the Senate for the pre-trial conference in the impeachment case against the Vice President. Courtesy of the Office of the House Secretary General.
THE pre‑trial conference for the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte formally kicked off on Thursday, June 18, marking a key procedural step ahead of the actual trial set to open next month.
Both the defense team and the House of Representatives prosecution panel were present at the Senate for the meeting, though Dinagat Islands Representative Kaka Bag‑Ao, a member of the prosecution side, was unable to attend. This gathering serves as the first formal interaction between the two sides as they prepare for the Senate to officially convene as an Impeachment Court on July 6.
Lawyer Michael Poa, legal counsel for Vice President Duterte, described the session as a standard part of the legal process. “It’s a normal process naman so it’s really stipulation of facts and simplification of issues,” Poa told reporters, explaining that the goal is to agree on established facts and narrow down the matters that will be the subject of debate and evidence during the trial proper. The conference follows the submission of pre‑trial briefs by both parties, which outline their respective positions, list of witnesses, and evidence they intend to present before the senator‑judges.
Vice President Duterte faces serious charges including culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, bribery, and other high crimes. This marks the second time she has been impeached by the House of Representatives; the first was in May. On June 1, her legal team filed a formal response to the Articles of Impeachment, urging the court to dismiss the case outright. The Senate had previously convened as an impeachment court on May 18, but proceedings were paused amid the leadership dispute that gripped the upper chamber in recent weeks.
This preliminary hearing comes just one day after the Senate’s weeks‑long leadership deadlock finally ended with the election of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian as the new Senate President. Former leader Alan Peter Cayetano formally conceded after key members of his bloc moved to the opposing side, clearing the way for the reorganization of the chamber. According to Senator Panfilo Lacson, the new majority has already reached a consensus to designate Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero as the Presiding Officer of the Impeachment Court, a decision expected to be finalized and officially confirmed when the body convenes on July 6.
