Rowegie Abanto

Vice President Sara Duterte. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File

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/177907583041620260218-vp-sara-duterte-presidency-MT2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Vice President Sara Duterte. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span>MANILA (<strong>4th </strong><strong>UPDATE</strong>) — The Senate on Monday afternoon convened as an impeachment court for the trial of impeached Vice President Sara Duterte.</div><p>Donned in deep-red crimson robes, 23 of 24 senators took their oath as &quot;impartial&quot; judges ahead of the trial of the Vice President, who was impeached by a majority of House lawmakers for a second time last week.</p><p>Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano also took his oath as presiding officer of the impeachment court.</p><p>The Articles of Impeachment were presented to the court, which will be using existing rules.</p><p>In compliance with those rules, the Court gave Duterte a non-extendible period of 10  calendar days to file her answer to the articles, which can then be answered by the prosecution within a non-extendible period of five days.</p><p>The Court also issued a summons for Duterte to appear before the Court at a date to be determined.</p><p>The Clerk of the Court will also set a calendar for pre trial.</p><p>Cayetano gave assurances he will work with the Minority to make sure the Senate&#x27;s legislative work does not suffer while it functions as an impeachment court.</p><p>&quot;The Clerk of Court is hereby authorized to calendar the case for pre-trial and issue the corresponding notices to the parties after the last pleading is filed. Upon conclusion of the pre-trial, the trial proper shall commence on a date and time fixed by the Court of which the parties shall be duly notified.&quot; Cayetano said.</p><p>&quot;We will come up with an impeachment calendar that is fair to the prosecution and to the defense and will allow us to continue to function in the legislative side of our work,&quot; he added.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Vice President&#x27;s defense team said they will &quot;comply and file the appropriate response in accordance with the Constitution and applicable rules.</p><p>&quot;At this stage, and out of respect for the process, we find it prudent to refrain from further comment,&quot; they added.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;FORMAL ENTRY OF APPEARANCE&#x27;</strong></div><p>The 11-member House prosecution panel latter formally entered its appearance before the Senate impeachment court.</p><p>Their &quot;Formal Entry of Appearance&quot; was personally filed at 5:32 p.m. by House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil on behalf of the prosecutors elected by the chamber.</p><p>The filing signaled the House&#x27;s readiness to proceed with the historic impeachment trial after it voted 257-25, with nine abstentions, to impeach Duterte and transmit the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate.</p><p>In the three-page pleading, the 11 House members formally entered their appearance before the impeachment court as public prosecutors in the case against Duterte.</p><p>The pleading named House Committee on Justice Chair and Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville &quot;Jinky Bitrics&quot; Luistro as lead public prosecutor, with all court processes to be furnished through the Office of the Secretary General of the House of Representatives.</p><p>The pleading was signed by Luistro and fellow public prosecutors Reps. Terry Ridon (Bicol Saro Party-list), Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez (1-Rider Party-list), Ysabel Maria Zamora (San Juan City), Lorenz Defensor (Iloilo 3rd District), Jose Manuel &quot;Chel&quot; Diokno (Akbayan Party-list), Leila de Lima (Mamamayang Liberal Party-list), Arlene &quot;Kaka&quot; Bag-ao (Dinagat Islands), Jonathan Keith Flores (Bukidnon 2nd District), Lordan Suan (Cagayan de Oro 1st District), and Joel Chua (Manila 3rd District). </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;SEPARATION OF POWERS&#x27;</strong></div><p>Duterte faces accusations that she misused her office&#x27;s confidential funds, issued threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family, and amassed questionable wealth.</p><p>The Senate is constitutionally required to conduct a trial &quot;forthwith&quot; following an impeachment, but that mandate has been in question as senators allied with Duterte <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/11/cayetano-replaces-sotto-as-senate-president-1539">took control of the chamber</a> on May 11.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/17/gov-t-urges-sc-to-deny-bato-petition-to-block-icc-arrest-warrant-1044">Gov’t urges SC to deny Bato petition to block ICC arrest warrant</a></div><p>But Cayetano has vowed that the Senate <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/11/cayetano-says-senate-will-follow-law-constitution-on-duterte-impeachment-2054">will follow the law and the Constitution</a> in tackling the impeachment complaint against the Vice President, amid concerns that the chamber could vote to dismiss the case even without proceeding to trial.</p><p>He also assured the public that the Senate impeachment trial would be a &quot;fair and independent&quot; process and that senators will decide based on evidence.</p><p>House lawmakers and legal experts have repeatedly said that the Senate cannot outright dismiss the impeachment case of Duterte, arguing that the senators are now mandated to convene as an impeachment court, try the Vice President, and decide on the case.</p><p>Lawyer Domingo Cayosa, former president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, said that trial by the Senate is not optional.</p><p>&quot;Hindi po ito puwedeng i-shortcut at i-dismiss na lang kasi hindi yan yung essence ng impeachment,&quot; he told ANC on Monday.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/17/house-prosecutors-ask-senator-judges-exhibit-political-neutrality-1804">House prosecutors ask Senator-Judges: Exhibit political neutrality in impeachment trial</a></div><p>Palace Press Officer Claire Castro meanwhile said that impeachment trial is the job and mandate of the Senate and that all those liable for any wrongdoing in government should be held accountable.</p><p>&quot;Hindi kailangan na makialam ang Pangulo sa mandato ng Senado dahil mayroon po tayong separation of powers,&quot; Castro said on Monday.</p><p>&quot;Ang pagpapalit ng liderato sa Senado ay kanilang aktibidad. Walang kinalaman ang Pangulo kung magpapalit sila o hindi. Nasa kanila po iyan,&quot; she added.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/15/diokno-any-motion-to-dismiss-impeachment-case-violates-constitution-1742">Diokno: Any motion to dismiss impeachment case violates Constitution</a></div><p>The Senate, under the leadership of Sen. Francis &quot;Chiz&quot; Escudero, in 2025 convened as an impeachment court some four months after Duterte&#x27;s impeachment that year, despite attempts by senators aligned with Duterte to stall the proceedings.</p><p>The Supreme Court later ruled that Duterte&#x27;s first impeachment violated a constitutional provision banning more than one impeachment proceeding against an official in a year.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>NEW SENATE LEADERSHIP?</strong></div><p>A coup launched by Duterte-allied senators on May 11 saw Cayetano installed as Senate president and ousted Sen. Vicente Sotto III, just as the House of Representatives was voting on the complaints against the Vice President.</p><p>Cayetano&#x27;s ascent to the Senate presidency was made possible with the crucial vote of Sen. Ronald &quot;Bato&quot; dela Rosa, who reappeared following a months-long absence. He later &quot;escaped&quot; the chamber&#x27;s premises after the International Criminal Court unsealed a warrant for his arrest over his role in the drug war.</p><p>Following the terror on Wednesday, which has been accused of being &quot;staged&quot; to allow Dela Rosa to slip out of the Senate, Cayetano&#x27;s leadership has been under threat. </p><p>As he denied allegations that he orchestrated the mayhem and maintained that the Senate faced an &quot;attack,&quot; Cayetano <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/15/cayetano-says-cancelled-ledac-meeting-part-of-plot-to-unseat-him-2004">accused the minority bloc</a> of growing numbers to oust him, saying at one point that he might &quot;leave anytime.&quot;</p><p>Political analyst Ronald Llamas said Monday that there is a <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPGrPke089Y">&quot;big possibility&quot; of another leadership shakeup</a> in the Senate to save the chamber from a &quot;crisis&quot; that tainted the chamber&#x27;s image.</p><p>&quot;Hindi nakakagulat na magkakaroon ng pagbabago sa liderato today,&quot; he told DZMM.</p><div><strong>— With reports from Katrina Domingo and RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News</strong></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/_NBTP3Cs_tM?&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/Bun2F7eCrBI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>The Senate on Monday afternoon is set to convene as an impeachment court for the trial of impeached Vice President Sara Duterte, as talk of another leadership shakeup in the chamber swirls.</p>

The Senate on Monday afternoon is set to convene as an impeachment court for the trial of impeached Vice President Sara Duterte, as talk of another leadership shakeup in the chamber swirls.

Senate convenes as impeachment court for Sara Duterte trial

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Senate convenes as impeachment court for Sara Duterte trial

Rowegie Abanto,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 18, 2026 12:11 PM PHT

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Updated May 18, 2026 07:45 PM PHT

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Sara Duterte

Sara Duterte Impeachment

Senate

Impeachment Court

Alan Peter Cayetano

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