The Senate formally transitioned into an impeachment court on Monday afternoon to try Vice President Sara Duterte, marking the official start of the high-stakes proceedings exactly one week after a dramatic leadership shake-up placed Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano at the helm as presiding officer.
Donning maroon judicial robes, 23 senators took their oaths as senator-judges. The only member absent from the proceedings was Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. The transition comes after the Senate officially received the Articles of Impeachment from the House of Representatives on May 13.
During the session, the tribunal issued a writ of summons to the Vice President, giving her 10 calendar days upon receipt to file her formal answer to charges of flouting the 1987 Constitution and committing graft and corruption. The Senate has also ordered Duterte to appear before the body upon notice.
While the Vice President consistently skipped the earlier deliberations held by the House Committee on Justice, her defense team previously maintained that her presence was not legally required at the committee level. However, her lawyers have expressed readiness to present their defense now that the case has reached the Senate.