Joselito Malig

The Senate of the Philippines convene as an impeachment court on its second day of the trial against Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. House prosecutors presented National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Senior Agent John Mark Calilong, who had conducted a forensic examination of a video of Vice President Sara Duterte uttering death threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez on November 23, 2024.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

VP Sara Impeachment

ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- The panel of prosecutors of the House of Representatives on Tuesday said the impeachment reaching trial can already be considered a victory on their part.According to House prosecution panel spokesperson Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, the fact that the impeachment trial has already started, and that the House prosecutors have already started to present their witnesses and evidence can already be considered a victory.&quot;Once the trial begins, makikita natin yung katotohanan. Ito yung katotohanan eh, the evidence will speak. Nakita rin natin ang strategy ng defense, it is to actually mute the evidence or to do anything that they can, technically, not to allow the court to appreciate the evidence,&quot; he said in a press conference on the sidelines of the second day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.(Once the trial begins, we&#x27;ll see the truth. This is the truth, the evidence will speak. We also saw the strategy of the defense, it is to actually mute the evidence or to do anything that they can, technically, not to allow the court to appreciate the evidence.)&quot;Ngayon, hindi pa tapos itong araw na ito but we are claiming victory because all the motions that were raised by the defense, most of them, were overruled and we are very thankful to the presiding officer because alam niya &#x27;yung mga strategy na ganito,&quot; Adiong added.(Now, this day has not yet ended but we are claiming victory because all the motions that were raised by the defense, most of them, were overruled and we are very thankful to the presiding officer because he knows these kinds of strategies.)For House prosecutor Rep. Terry Ridon, the most important part of the trial is the presentation of evidence, which they already did.&quot;Most important metric in litigation ay &#x27;yung naipasok ang mga ebidensya, naisalang &#x27;yung mga ebidensya na hindi ho na-objectan, na hindi ho natitigil. And as we have seen today, &#x27;yung mga major witnesses, major documents, nasalang po ngayon. So malaking tagumpay po &#x27;yun ngayong araw,&quot; he said.(The most important metric in litigation is the submission of evidence, the presentation of evidence, and there were no objections. We also have seen today that the major witnesses, the major documents, we were able to submit them. So today is a major victory for us.)Adiong likewise said that the victory is not for the House of Representatives alone, but for the Filipinos who deserve to know the truth.&quot;When we say we claim victory, sabi ko nga matagal pa ito. We&#x27;re claiming victory in a sense na we have already started to present our case, present our evidence, for the court and for the people to see and appreciate,&quot; he said.&quot;It that sense, we have already started the trial, and we have already shown to the public what evidence we have. So in that sense, we are claiming victory, kasi ang mananalo talaga dito ang taongbayan dahil para naman talaga sa kanila ang impeachment na ito at para malaman nila kung ano &#x27;yung kaso na ipi-prisinta ng prosecution (because the ones winning here is really the people because this trial is really for them, and for them to know the evidence that will be presented by the prosecution),&quot; Adiong added.On the second day of trial, the Senate trial court is first tackling the fourth article of impeachment, which accuses the vice president of arranging an assassination plot against Marcos Jr. and his family, grave threats, and inciting sedition.<div><a class="fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/7/impeachment-court-tackles-duterte-s-alleged-threat-vs-marcos-1513">Impeachment court tackles Duterte&#x27;s alleged threat vs Marcos</a></div>In 2024, Duterte declared that she hired an assassin to kill Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez — the president&#x27;s cousin — in case she is killed.But Duterte at the time later said her words were <a class="fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2024/11/25/vp-sara-duterte-says-remark-vs-marcos-maliciously-taken-out-of-logical-context-0922">&quot;maliciously taken out of logical context</a>.&quot;The vice president on Tuesday went to the Senate to meet with her lawyers before the continuation of her trial and only issued a terse statement: &quot;In this bloodbath and bludgeoning, I will be bloodied but unbowed.&quot;Ridon earlier said Duterte&#x27;s rhetoric showed a <a class="fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/7/ridon-mocks-vp-duterte-you-cannot-have-a-bloodbath-through-proxies-1602">&quot;bloody reflection of how she views the world</a>.&quot;

The panel of prosecutors of the House of Representatives on Tuesday said the impeachment reaching trial can already be considered a victory on their part.

The panel of prosecutors of the House of Representatives on Tuesday said the impeachment reaching trial can already be considered a victory on their part.

House prosecutors say impeachment reaching trial already a 'victory'

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House prosecutors say impeachment reaching trial already a 'victory'

ABS-CBN News

Published July 07, 2026 07:23 PM PHT

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Sara Duterte

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