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PASAY CITY—The Senate impeachment court on July 6, junked a high-stakes motion by House prosecutors to compel the immediate, in-person arraignment of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Lead House Prosecutor Representative Gerville Luistro took the floor to anchor the motion, citing Rules 7, 9, and 21 of the Impeachment Rules of Procedure to demand a formal reading of the charges.
“The prosecution respectfully moves for the reading of the four articles of impeachment and the entry of corresponding answer or plea for each article of impeachment... This is consistent to the Senate rules on impeachment particularly rule 7,” Luistro argued, asserting that a plea of not guilty should be entered into the record immediately.
Duterte’s defense counsel, Atty. Sheila Sison, methodically dismantled the prosecution's argument by countering that the Vice President's submitted written answer and appearance via legal counsel were already legally sufficient under the Senate's own framework.
Sison emphasized the explicit language of the guidelines, stating, “In rule 7, it very clearly states that if the person impeached after service shall fail to appear either in person or by counsel on the day so fixed or appearing shall fail to file answer to such articles of impeachment, the trial shall proceed nevertheless as a part of plea of not guilty.”
The defense maintained that because Duterte had already engaged with the process through her submitted documents, forcing a physical arraignment lacked merit.
Finding no direct legal basis for the prosecution's demands, the Senate impeachment court officially denied the motion and clarified the proper roadmap for the trial.
The court ruled that the articles of impeachment were already spread into the records during the initial summons, and a forced plea is only necessary if a defendant fails to respond entirely.
Explaining the definitive rejection, the court announced: “In this case she has filed an answer and in fact appeared through counsel. In so far, the reading of the articles of impeachment is concerned, it will be done at the final resolution of this case when this put to a vote by the senator-judges where each articles of impeachment will be read before a vote shall be taken there on. For those reasons, the motion is denied.” Senate Impeachment Court Presiding Officer Senator Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero said.
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Date posted: July 6, 2026 6:40 PM