Vice President Sara Duterte filed her response to the Articles of Impeachment before the Senate on June 1, 2026, seeking dismissal of the case.
Duterte’s legal team arrived at the Senate before the 7 p.m. deadline carrying a 50-page document with annexes. Michael Poa, the team spokesman, said the House proceedings had procedural defects and that key evidence such as Anti-Money Laundering Council reports was not attached to the original complaint.
In her response, Duterte stated the articles suffer from “fatal constitutional, procedural, and substantive defects” and fall short of the constitutional threshold for impeachable offenses. She also noted new evidence was introduced after she filed her answer to the House committee.
An OCTA Research poll conducted April 20-24 showed 74 percent of respondents support a Senate trial. The impeachment trial is scheduled to begin on July 6.
