Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte attends the HOR Committee hearing on Good Governance and Public Accountability at the Batasan Pambansa in Quezon City on November 25, 2024, tackling the Php 612.5 million confidential fund expenses of the OVP and the DepEd under the helm of VP Duterte.

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday said they are ready to defend the country&#x27;s second highest official despite questioning &quot;serious constitutional infirmities&quot; in the impeachment complaints.</p><p>Duterte’s defense panel released the statement days after legal luminaries, members of the academe, and other groups criticized the Senate for supposedly delaying the impeachment trial of the Vice President.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/5/17/sara-duterte-says-she-wants-bloodbath-in-her-impeachment-trial-2257">Sara Duterte says she wants &#x27;bloodbath&#x27; in her impeachment trial</a></div><p>“We reiterate our firm position that the initiation of the impeachment process—particularly the Fourth Impeachment Complaint—suffers from serious constitutional infirmities,” Duterte’s defense team said in a statement.</p><p>“The impeachment process must never be weaponized to harass, silence, or eliminate political opponents. It is a constitutional mechanism, not a political tool,” it read.</p><p>“Nevertheless, should the Senate choose to proceed, we stand ready to confront the charges and expose the baselessness of the accusations against the Vice President.”</p><p>The Senate received the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte on February 5, the last day of session before congressional sessions were suspended to give way to the campaign period for the 2025 midterm elections.</p><p>Senate President Francis Escudero initially said that the Senate would tackle the ouster case when the Senate reconvenes on June 2, but later on moved the agenda to June 11, the last session day of the 19th Congress.</p><p>Duterte earlier said that her camp will question the crossover of the impeachment case against her from the 19th Congress to the 20th Congress, noting that the next Congress — which will open in July — will have a new set of lawmakers.</p><p>Former Justice Adolfo Azcuna — who drafted Article 11 of the 1987 Constitution that discusses the impeachment process in the Philippines — has said that the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/8/ex-sc-justice-vp-sara-impeachment-trial-can-continue-in-20th-congress-but-must-start-in-19th-1311">20th Congress may continue to tackle Duterte’s impeachment provided that the 19th Congress starts the proceedings before it closes on June 11</a>.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lW4KGXGdFJk?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div><div><strong></strong></div>

<p>The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday said they are ready to defend the country's second highest official despite questioning "serious constitutional infirmities" in the impeachment complaints.</p>

The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday said they are ready to defend the country's second highest official despite questioning "serious constitutional infirmities" in the impeachment complaints.

Sara Duterte defense team 'ready to confront charges' in Senate impeachment trial | ABS-CBN

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Sara Duterte defense team 'ready to confront charges' in Senate impeachment trial

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jun 09, 2025 11:40 AM PHT

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