The basics
The trial opened Monday, July 6, and is expected to run 92 trial days. Senator-judges are hearing four Articles of Impeachment: alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, unexplained wealth, constitutional violations, and betrayal of public trust. Senate President Pro Tempore Francis “Chiz” Escudero was elected presiding officer. He also presided over Duterte’s first, archived impeachment case in 2025. Conviction requires 16 of the 23 senator-judges to vote guilty, the two-thirds threshold set by the Constitution.
Day 1, July 6: Opening session
Duterte skipped the opening session. Her spokesperson, lawyer Michael Poa, said she would appear only through counsel, arguing this “does not diminish accountability or imply a lack of transparency.” She also brushed off President Marcos’s suggestion that showing up in person would be “much easier,” calling his opinion “of no importance.”
Lead prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro moved to have Duterte arraigned on the spot, with the Articles read and a plea entered. The impeachment court denied the motion. Prosecutors also stated that the trial would continue even if Duterte resigned, since conviction carries two separate penalties: removal from office and a lifetime ban from public office, while resignation would only address the first. Security around the Senate included over 3,000 deployed police officers.
Day 2, July 7: The kill-threat video
The trial moved into evidence. The prosecution’s first witness, NBI Senior Cyber Investigation Agent John Mark Calilung, took the stand to authenticate video evidence tied to Article IV, the charge that Duterte threatened to have President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez assassinated.
Over defense objections, Escudero allowed prosecutors to play a roughly two-minute clip from a November 2024 online briefing in which Duterte made those threats, including a remark about having imagined cutting off Marcos’s head. The defense tried to disqualify Calilung as a witness, arguing he wasn’t named in the original complaint; Escudero denied that motion too, citing precedent allowing additional witnesses.
Duterte, in a brief statement to media, said: “In this bloodbath and bludgeoning, I will be bloodied but unbowed.” Cross-examination of Calilung was postponed to Wednesday, July 8, when the trial resumes at 2 p.m.
Why it matters
This is uncharted territory for Philippine politics. A sitting VP is on trial with her 2028 presidential ambitions on the line, and the trial is scheduled to run for 92 trial days.
📷 OVP
