The Senate is set to formally begin the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, July 6.
Photo: Inday Sara Duterte/Facebook
Here’s a quick explainer on what will happen during the impeachment trial, the alleged charges against her, and what will happen if she is found guilty.
Alleged offenses of Sara Duterte
Sara Duterte has four impeachment complaints. The third and fourth complaints eventually led to her impeachment by the House of Representatives (HOR).
On February 5, the HOR impeached the Vice President for a historic second time, with 257 House members backing the complaint.
This made her the first official in Philippine history to be impeached twice.
Her case centers on four main allegations: the misuse of confidential funds; unexplained wealth and failure to fully disclose her assets and Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN); alleged bribery among Department of Education (DepEd) officials; and the alleged plot to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The impeachment trial schedule
The first day of Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial is expected to cover procedural matters, preliminary motions, opening statements, and other legal issues. The presentation of evidence will follow.
The Senate approved a 92-day trial schedule, with 62 trial days allotted to the prosecution and 30 trial days allotted to the defense.
The 92-day trial schedule will have corresponding days for each article of impeachment: 31 days for the misuse of confidential funds, 12 days for unexplained wealth, 8 days for bribery of government officials, and 11 days for alleged threats.
From July 6 to 22, the Senate impeachment court will hold hearings every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday starting at 2:00 PM. This schedule will run before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 27.
After the SONA, the schedule will shift to Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays starting at 3:00 PM.
For the impeachment trial, there will be 26 prosecutors: 11 House prosecutors and 15 private prosecutors.
The House prosecutors are Gerville Luistro (lead prosecutor), Kaka Bag-ao, Joel Chua, Leila de Lima, Lorenz Defensor, Chel Diokno, Jonathan Keith Flores, Rodge Gutierrez, Terry Ridon, Lordan Suan, and Ysabel Zamora.
Meanwhile, the 15 private prosecutors include Theodore Te, Reynaldo Robles, Arnold Labay, Mae Divinagracia, Jay Tolosa, Marforth Fua, Erwin Matib, Justine Anne Lamarca, James Bryan Ibrahim Alih, Lorna Patajo-Kapunan, Sonya Margarita Benemerito-Castillo, Deanna Melissa Lorenzo-Singian, Lino Chris Kapunan, Amando Virgil Ligutan, and Bettina Zamora.
The prosecution will also present 57 witnesses, 45 defense witnesses, and 17 common witnesses. The common witnesses, who will be presented by both sides, include former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, key witness and self-confessed Duterte bagman Ramil Madriaga, and National Bureau of Investigation chief Melvin Matibag, among others.
What happens if she is found guilty
If Sara Duterte is found guilty of the alleged offenses, she will be removed from office.
At the same time, she will be barred from holding future government positions. This will effectively end her hopes of becoming President of the Philippines, as she previously announced in February 2026 that she would run for the country’s highest office in the 2028 national elections.
“I offer my life, my strength, and my future in the service of our nation,” she said during her surprise announcement, refusing to take questions from reporters afterward.
“Mga kababayan, humihingi ako ng paumanhin. Patawad kung tinulungan kong mahalal si BBM bilang pangulo ng ating bansa. Patawad kung hanggang ngayon ay marami pa ring Pilipino ang nalulunod sa baha ng dahil sa malawakang korupsyon. Patawad kung lantaran ang pag-aabuso ng ating mga institution para sa pansariling interes ng mga politiko. Patawad kung patuloy ang pagtaas ng presyo ng mga pangahing bilihin habang nananatiling kapos ang kita ng bawat pamilya. Patawad kung wala man lang tayong tunay na seguridad sa pagkain. Patawad kung may nagkakasakit at binabawian bigla ng buhay dahil sa kakulangan nang maayos at epektibong healthcare system,” she remarked.
Prior to becoming vice president, Sara Duterte served as mayor of Davao City from 2010 to 2013 and again from 2016 to 2022. She is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who has been detained at the ICC Detention Centre in The Hague.
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