Rowegie Abanto

Vice President Sara Duterte announces her intention to run for the presidency in the 2028 national elections during a press conference at the Office of the Vice President (OVP) headquarters in Mandaluyong City on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. Duterte outlines her priorities, including governance reforms, public service continuity, and national development. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

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VP SARA DUTERTE

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177389556265720260218-vp-sara-duterte-presidency-MT5.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Vice President Sara Duterte announces her intention to run for the presidency in the 2028 national elections on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA — Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro on Thursday warned the defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte that their absence on the March 25 &quot;mini-trial&quot; of the House Committee on Justice raises the possibility of her impeachment case being transmitted to the Senate.</p><p>On Wednesday, the House panel found that the impeachment complaints against Duterte had <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/18/house-justice-panel-sara-duterte-impeachment-hearing-1040">sufficient grounds to proceed to a &quot;hearing proper&quot;</a> before the committee.</p><p>There is a chance that the Vice President&#x27;s impeachment case will be dismissed in the determination of whether or not there is a probable cause if they present counterarguments before the members of the House panel, Luistro, its chairperson, told ANC.</p><p>But if Duterte and her legal team choose to skip the hearing next week, &quot;they should anticipate that this impeachment complaint will, indeed, be transmitted to the Senate,&quot; she said.</p><p>Michael Poa, one of the legal counsels of the Vice President, said in a separate ANC interview that regardless of the outcome, Duterte is readying herself to face trial at the Senate, where her first impeachment case languished and was eventually voided by the Supreme Court over procedural issues.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;MINI-TRIAL&#x27;?</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Asked if Duterte will attend the hearing next week, Poa said he has not spoken with her regarding their attendance.</p><p>The lawyer however said that they will advise Duterte to skip the hearing if &quot;there&#x27;s nothing to gain&quot; from attending the House panel&#x27;s &quot;mini-trial&quot; — a characterization that he disagrees with because he claimed that the Vice President or her lawyers would not have the opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses.</p><p>Luistro defended her description of the hearing, saying, &quot;The purpose of this hearing proper, or which I describe as a mini-trial, is to give opportunity to both parties, the complainant and the respondent, to present their witnesses, to present their evidence, so as when we determine the probable cause, the justice members will be guided.&quot;</p><p>The Batangas lawmaker also said that under House rules, the defense team of Duterte can cross-examine witnesses but the &quot;direct examination and the cross-examination must be conducted by the justice members alone.&quot;</p><p>&quot;The participation of the lawyers in the proceeding before the justice committee is limited to assist the parties or their clients,&quot; she said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/18/house-justice-panel-sara-duterte-impeachment-hearing-1040">House panel finds Sara Duterte impeachment complaints ‘sufficient in grounds’, to start ‘hearing proper’ on March 25</a></div><p>The fresh impeachment complaints accuse Duterte of graft and corruption while in office and of making a death threat against former ally President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.</p><p>Under the Constitution, an impeachment by the House of Representatives triggers a Senate trial, where a guilty verdict could ban Duterte from elected office for life.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>—With a report from Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></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/QIG2PJCRNPc?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><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/mV4rsM8h1gk?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>Rep. Gerville Luistro warned that if Duterte and her legal team choose to skip the hearing next week, "they should anticipate that this impeachment complaint will, indeed, be transmitted to the Senate," she said.</p>

Rep. Gerville Luistro warned that if Duterte and her legal team choose to skip the hearing next week, "they should anticipate that this impeachment complaint will, indeed, be transmitted to the Senate," she said.

VP Sara Duterte, camp warned vs skipping House 'mini-trial' on impeachment complaint

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VP Sara Duterte, camp warned vs skipping House 'mini-trial' on impeachment complaint

Rowegie Abanto,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 19, 2026 01:20 PM PHT

Read More:

Sara Duterte

Gerville Luistro

Impeachment

Sara Duterte Impeachment

Michael Poa

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