- Lead. The second impeachment trial of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte entered its second week with testimony that directly links her to a supposed assassin, raising the stakes of a case that could permanently bar her from public office.
- Fact. National Bureau of Investigation Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc told the Senate on 13 July that Duterte’s alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez fell outside free-speech protections—and that Duterte admitted speaking with a would-be hitman before her November 2024 press conference.
- Stake. Conviction requires a two-thirds supermajority in the 24-seat chamber; if senators reach that threshold, Duterte would lose her post and face a permanent ban on holding elected office.
The Philippine Senate’s second impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte resumed on 13 July with the prosecution presenting its second witness, NBI Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc. He testified that Duterte’s statements about intending to arrange the killing of the country’s three top officials were “serious”—not protected political speech—and that the elements of a criminal offense had been met.
What the NBI Witness Said
Lotoc told the Senate that Duterte herself had admitted to speaking with a person he described as a “supposed assassin” in the days before her widely viewed online press conference on 23 November 2024, during which she named Marcos, Araneta-Marcos, and Romualdez as targets. The NBI director argued the admission established criminal intent, directly undercutting the defense’s position that the remarks were rhetorical or political theatre rather than genuine threats.
The session grew tense when a private prosecutor began questioning Lotoc in Waray, a regional Philippine language; after a defense objection, proceedings continued in Filipino and English. Senator-Judge Bam Aquino pressed an awkward implication: if Duterte did not actually hire a hitman, as the defense maintains, then her own public statements were false—a line of reasoning the prosecution intends to develop in the weeks ahead.
The Charges and What Is at Stake
The articles of impeachment accuse the 48-year-old vice president of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and bribery. The charges focus on the alleged misuse of confidential funds at the Office of the Vice President and at the Department of Education, where Duterte served as secretary from 2022 to 2024, as well as unexplained wealth and payments to DepEd officials.
The trial opened on 6 July—making her the first Philippine vice president to be impeached twice—under a 92-day pretrial schedule. The Senate, operating under a freshly reconfigured leadership elected after weeks of internal jostling, is managing the case alongside a heavy legislative calendar. Senate President Win Gatchalian, who secured the position in the chamber’s fifth leadership change in recent memory, has kept procedural control firm.
What Comes Next
NBI Director Melvin Matibag, whose testimony was deferred from Day 4 after objections from senator-judges and defense counsel, is now scheduled to appear on 20 July. The defense has signalled it will present witnesses in support of what it calls “Operation Romanov”—a claimed plot to neutralise Duterte and her family—though no details of that evidence have been made public.
For President Marcos and his political bloc, a conviction would remove a rival with deep roots in Davao and a national profile strong enough to make her a viable presidential candidate in 2028. For the Senate, the 92-day timeline tests its stamina: the chamber must sustain sessions through October while the coalition majority holds.