Vice President Sara Duterte arrived at the Senate building on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, ahead of the second day of her impeachment trial, but only to meet with her legal team. In a brief statement to the media, she declared, “in this bloodbath and bludgeoning, I will be bloodied but unbowed.”
Legal Team Meeting and Trial Proceedings
Lawyer Michael Poa, spokesperson for Duterte’s defense team, said the Vice President would attend to her engagements after the meeting. Duterte had previously stated she would not personally attend her impeachment trial, asserting that a respondent has a constitutional right to be represented by counsel. Lawyer Reginald Tongol, spokesperson for the Senate impeachment court, confirmed that Duterte cannot be compelled to be physically present due to her right against self-incrimination and the right to legal representation.
Article IV: Grave Threats Allegations
The impeachment court is scheduled to discuss Article IV of the articles of impeachment against Duterte on July 7 and 8. This article concerns the grave threats she allegedly issued against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc and Senior Agent John Mark Calilung were subpoenaed to appear before the court regarding the matter.
Background of the Grave Threats
During an April hearing by the House Committee on Justice on Duterte's impeachment, the NBI stated that the Vice President's remarks—claiming she had ordered someone to kill the first couple and Romualdez if she herself were killed—could be considered a grave threat and inciting to sedition. Duterte made these remarks during an early morning press conference on November 23, 2025. Her outburst followed the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability's order to transfer her chief of staff, Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez, to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City, after the panel cited Lopez in contempt for alleged “undue interference.” Duterte then hurled expletives at the Marcos couple and Romualdez, accusing them of putting her staff in jeopardy amid what she termed a political demolition against her. NBI Director Malvin Matibag said the bureau had already obtained leads regarding individuals contracted by Duterte to assassinate the Marcoses and Romualdez.
