Vice President Sara Duterte’s 51-page response to the Articles of Impeachment appears to sidestep the substance of the charges against her, relying instead on procedural and constitutional objections, the House prosecution panel said.
Trial spokesperson Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said the defense’s filing confirms that it does not provide specific counter-evidence to challenge the allegations.
“It only confirms our initial observation that the defense could not provide particular evidence or argument to contest the Articles of Impeachment,” Alonto Adiong said. “From the start, they’ve focused on procedural and constitutional objections, which are already well past the pre-trial stage.”
The prosecution expected the defense to submit concrete evidence disputing the charges. Instead, Alonto Adiong said, the answer “rehashes the claim that everything is void because they questioned the constitutionality and process from the very beginning.”
He also noted that the filing contradicts earlier statements from Duterte’s team, which claimed readiness to answer the charges at the proper venue.
The Articles of Impeachment accuse Duterte of misusing hundreds of millions in confidential funds, accumulating unexplained wealth, bribing Department of Education personnel, and making grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez.
The Senate impeachment court has completed pre-trial proceedings and is scheduled to formally begin the trial on July 6. Both sides have submitted pre-trial briefs, witness lists, and documentary evidence in preparation for the hearings.