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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider VP Sara Duterte arrives at the Senate but will not attend Day 2 of impeachment trial

VP Sara Duterte arrives at the Senate but will not attend Day 2 of impeachment trial

Duterte's camp said the Vice President is at the Senate for a meeting with her defense team

Published Jul 7, 2026 12:28 pm  |  Updated Jul 7, 2026 01:25 pm

At A Glance

  • Vice President Sara Duterte arrived at the Senate on Day 2 of her impeachment trial for a scheduled meeting with her defense team but will not attend the hearing, according to defense spokesperson Michael Poa.
  • Poa said Duterte had other work engagements and chose to meet her lawyers at the Senate because the defense team was already there.
  • The Senate impeachment court moved into the evidentiary stage, with the House prosecution panel set to present its first witnesses and documentary evidence.
Vice President Sara Duterte arrived at the Senate on July 7, 2026, for a meeting with her defense team before the impeachment court began hearing prosecution witnesses on the second day of her trial. (Mark Balmores / Manila Bulletin)
Vice President Sara Duterte arrived at the Senate on July 7, 2026, for a meeting with her defense team before the impeachment court began hearing prosecution witnesses on the second day of her trial. (Mark Balmores / Manila Bulletin)
Vice President Sara Duterte arrived at the Senate on Tuesday, July 7, for a scheduled meeting with her defense team, but is not expected to personally attend the second day of her impeachment trial.
“The VP is coming, but she’s only here to have a meeting with us. She will not be attending the trial,” defense spokesperson Michael Poa said in an interview.
Poa said Duterte had several work engagements scheduled for the day and would continue carrying out her official duties.
“She has engagements today, tuloy-tuloy ang trabaho ni VP [the VP’s work continues],” Poa said when asked why Duterte would not attend the second day of her impeachment trial. “Marami siyang mga engagements, so meron lang kaming scheduled meeting [She has many engagements, so we only have a scheduled meeting],” he added.
The defense spokesperson said Duterte chose to meet with her lawyers at the Senate because the defense team was already there.
“Kasi nandito yung defense, alam mo naman si VP mas gusto niya kung saan mas convenient sa amin [Because the defense is here, and you know the VP prefers what is more convenient for us],” he added.
Duterte’s arrival comes as the Senate impeachment court moves into the evidentiary stage of the trial, with the House prosecution panel set to begin presenting its first witnesses.
The prosecution is expected to lay out evidence supporting the impeachment charges against Duterte, including allegations involving the misuse of public funds, unexplained wealth, and threats against key government officials.
The defense team earlier said it was prepared to cross-examine prosecution witnesses once the trial entered the presentation-of-evidence stage.
The Senate impeachment court is set to resume proceedings at 2 p.m. on Tuesday after adjourning on July 6 following opening statements from the prosecution and defense panels.
In its opening statement, the defense maintained that the impeachment case is politically motivated, while prosecutors argued that the proceedings are necessary to establish accountability.
A conviction and Duterte’s removal from office require the concurrence of at least two-thirds of the Senate impeachment court.
RELATED STORY: 
https://mb.com.ph/2026/07/07/vp-sara-duterte-impeachment-trial-day-2-defense-ready-for-prosecution-witnesses-evidence-presentation

Related Tags

VP Sara Duterte impeachment trial Sara Duterte Senate appearance Michael Poa Senate impeachment court VP Sara Duterte defense team
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