While the first day of Vice President Sara Duterte's Senate impeachment trial was relatively short and uneventful, it did feature the first clash between the lead counsels of the prosecution and the defense--Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro and lawyer Sheila Sison, respectively.

Their match-up became a very anticipated one thanks to an unverified online report that alleged that Luistro was "eaten alive"--a figure of speech for being outperformed--by Sison during a June 18 pre-trial conference. The proceedings were held behind closed doors.

Luistro and her fellow solon-prosecutors have dismissed this report as "fake news".

Day one of the impeachment trial on Monday, July 6 gave the public a tiny morsel--but a juicy one--of how a tit-for-tat between the two lead counsels can go in the form of their respective opening statements.

Luistro, the House Committee on Justice chairperson, delivered his opening speech first, followed immediately by Sison, a litigator from Fortun Narvasa & Salazar.

While Luistro's words were more emotionally-charged and accusatory, Sison's were more legaslitic and restrained.

There was dramatic flair with Lusitro as she invoked ordinary Filipinos’ struggles, used vivid language, and framed the trial as a moral test of accountability. She also used more Filipino sentences compared to Sison, perhaps in a bid to be more relatable.

“Democracy ends when violence begins. Walang Bise Presidente na may kaibigan na hitman. Ngayon lang (No Vice President has ever had a hitman for a friend. Until now),” said Luistro.

“Evidence, not tsismis (rumors), not propaganda, and not socmed narrative. Evidence, official records, financial documents, government reports, statements under oath,” she added as she verbally unpacked the prosecution’s tools.

Luistro focused on substance and allegations. She detailed the contents of the four articles of impeachment covering confidential funds misuse, unexplained wealth, bribery, and threats to constitutional order.

On the other hand, Sison--who kept a consistent tone in her voice--focused on the impeachment process and the notion of fairness. She warned against abuse of impeachment and stressed adherence to constitutional boundaries.

"The burden of proof never shifts. He who accuses must prove his allegations with evidence… every accused is presumed innocent until proven otherwise," she saod.

"Without fairness, there is abuse. This fairness is what our democracy is all about,” reckoned Sison.

The lead defense lawyer highlighted that Vice President was elected in 2022 by over 32 million Filipinos, more than the sitting President. She warns that her potential removal from office is a grave act against the electorate’s will.

One could argue that Luistro wrote her speech not only for the senator-judges, but also for the public, as she weaved in relatable stories of workers, teachers, and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to dramatize accountability as a shared national issue.

In the end, Luistro’s speech was aimed not just to persuade the Senate but to galvanize public opinion by portraying the trial as a test of whether accountability truly applies to the powerful--in this case Vice President Duterte.

“The trust entrusted was violated, the borrowed power was abused, and the Constitution itself demands accountability,” she said.

"Judge this case not by politics, not by popularity, not by fear, not by loyalty. Judge this case by the Constitution,” added the lead prosecutor.

Whereas, for Sison, her sole audience for her speech was the Senate as a constitutional court, as she urged impartiality and legal discipline from the chamber.

“Impeachment is not a purely political proceeding. It is primarily a legal, political, and constitutional mechanism,” she said.

“The law can never be bent when it suits the convenience of the powerful, nor justice sacrificed at the altar of partisan interests,” Sison further said.