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Bella Cariaso - The Philippine Star
March 26, 2026 | 12:00am
Vice President Sara Duterte did not attend impeachment proceedings at the House of Representatives yesterday. Beside her empty seat are Reps. Chel Diokno and Leila de Lima.
MICHAEL VARCAS
MANILA, Philippines — The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte yesterday referred to the “mini-trial” of the House committee on justice as “unconstitutional” amid the Vice President’s decision not to attend the initial hearing on the two remaining complaints.
At a press conference, lawyer Sheila Sison defended the decision of Duterte and her 16-person legal team to turn down the invitation of the panel, saying that the Senate has the sole authority to try and decide all impeachment complaints.
“While Section 3, Paragraph 2, Article 11 (of the Constitution) allows the committee to conduct a hearing for purposes of submitting its report to the House of Representatives within 60 session days… the Senate does not give the committee any power or jurisdiction to conduct any form of trial, whether mini or full, much less receive and try any evidence,” Sison said.
Sison said that while the invitation for Duterte and the counsels to participate in the committee’s “mini-trial is well noted,” the House of Representatives has no jurisdiction to conduct any form of trial.
“Consequently, the respondent (Duterte) puts on record her objection to any requests, motions or similar efforts aimed at obtaining or fishing for supposed evidence through processes that necessarily presuppose the existence of lawful authority and jurisdiction under the Constitution, which this case establishes,” Sison said.
Fellow Duterte counsel Michael Poa said he will attend the hearing of the justice panel after he was subpoenaed.
“I will wait for the subpoena, but definitely I’m willing to attend. I don’t have any intention to evade,” he said.
Poa said Duterte’s legal team is questioning the jurisdiction of the justice panel to conduct any form of trial.
He clarified that the defense has yet to decide whether to raise the legality of the panel’s proceedings before the Supreme Court.
“The term mini-trial did not come from us. It came from the statements of either the committee on justice or even other personalities, so it did not come from us. That’s why we’re contesting it,” Poa added.
Poa said Duterte is in the country amid her decision to snub the hearing.
Politics?
The Vice President said she would rather dedicate her time to helping Filipinos than attend the justice panel hearing yesterday.
“The invitation to attend the committee on justice hearing is being used to create a media narrative that there will be a mini-trial, based on my alleged failure to respond and attend,” Duterte said in a statement yesterday.
“I have submitted my Answer ad Cautelam. At this point, the committee has no choice but to dismiss the complaints due to a clear lack of evidence,” she added.
Duterte said the hearings are being used so that the House of Representatives can conduct a third fishing expedition against her.
She reiterated that there is no policy requiring the respondent in an impeachment complaint to personally attend the committee on justice hearings.
“Once again, politics is being prioritized over the welfare of millions of Filipinos who are suffering greatly due to high prices,” she said.
