Bloodbath-ready Sara Duterte appears at Senate, but not for trial. Why?

Vice President Sara Duterte appeared at the Senate on Tuesday, July 7, ahead of the second day of her impeachment trial.

She faced the media, but did not take any questions. Instead, she delivered a one-sentence statement linked to her earlier pronouncement about a “bloodbath-filled” impeachment.

“In this bloodbath and bludgeoning, I will be bloodied but unbowed,” Duterte, in short hair and green shirt, said. She then left the press area and proceeded to her defense lawyer’s holding room.

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Duterte said in 2025 that she was ready for an impeachment trial — for a bloodbath.

But then she filed a petition with the Supreme Court (SC) in 2025 that led to the termination of the impeachment proceedings. The High Court, packed by appointees of her father, ruled that the articles of impeachment were unconstitutional. No trial happened.

This time around, Duterte asked the SC anew to junk her second impeachment case, but there has been no immediate relief so far. Duterte skipped the impeachment proceedings at the House earlier this year as well as the pre-trial conference, only appearing through her lawyers.

And on Tuesday, she appeared at the upper chamber not to attend the trial but only for a briefing with her lawyers.

“She will not be attending the scheduled hearing this afternoon…. That’s why she’s here in Manila and she will have to proceed to her engagements after our meeting,” said defense spokesperson Michael Poa.

If she had the time to have a briefing with her lawyers, why did she choose not to attend the trial given that she’s already at the Senate? How important is her engagement that it made her skip the hearing?

“The thing here is, it’s important because it’s her duties as the Vice President. Alam naman natin na ang impeachment ay isang bagay na kailangang sagutin at ginagawa naman natin ‘yon, but at the same time, the Vice President has to go on and do her job as the Vice President,” the defense spokesperson explained.

(We know that the impeachment needs to be answered and we’re doing that, but at the same time, the Vice President has to go on and do her job as the Vice President.)

The Vice President, who might be removed and barred perpetually from holding public office if convicted, is on trial after she was in May impeached by the House of Representatives a second time. 

The articles of impeachment or allegations against her include alleged misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery of public officials, and alleged threats to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family.

The allegations begin

July 7 was no ordinary date for the Senate impeachment court. While the first day, July 6, was dedicated to the opening statements, the second day zeroes in on the specific allegations against the Vice President.

For Tuesday and Wednesday, the prosecutors will tackle Duterte’s alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family, the fourth article in the House of Representatives’ articles of impeachment against the land’s second highest official.

Based on the court schedule, the House prosecutors will be presenting witnesses from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the House of Representatives to prove Duterte’s alleged intention to harm the President, his wife Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House speaker Martin Romualdez.

The prosecution’s witnesses are:

1. NBI Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc (the NBI official who said that Duterte allegedly reached out to an assassin)
2. NBI Senior Agent John Mark Calilung (the official who authenticated the video where Duterte made the alleged threats)
3. House official Captain Belinda Bello (the official present during Duterte’s meltdown)

So, was Duterte’s appearance a deliberate choice by the defense because the allegations will be formally brought to the table on Tuesday?

“Hindi po. Ito pong meeting ay napag-usapan na po namin, scheduled po ito. Nagkaroon lang talaga siya ng time sa kanyang engagements para makausap din ang defense team,” said Poa. (No. We talked about this meetingw ay ahead, this was scheduled. She just had free time from her engagements to speak to the defense team.)

But why hold the meeting at the Senate and not in the private office of the defense team?

“Nandito na lang kami magkita para nang sa ganoon hindi kami ma-inconvenience. ‘Yan naman talaga ang naging character ng VP kahit noong una ko siya nakatrabaho sa DepEd. She’s always very conscious about kung ‘yong convenience ng kausap niya,” Poa said.

(We’re already here, so we won’t be inconvenienced. That’s always been her character ever since I worked with her at the Department of Education. She’s always very conscious about the convenience of the people she’s working with.)

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A way to humanize?

Duterte skipped the trial’s opening on Monday, and may skip future hearings if she wants to. She can do so as long as her defense counsels are there to represent her. It’s within her rights.

She also skipped the House committee on justice’s clarificatory hearings for the impeachment, as well as the Senate’s pre-trial conference last month.

In previous interviews, the Duterte camp has always been uncertain about Duterte’s attendance. Poa has repeatedly said the Vice President will appear only if needed. So, was this a personal decision by Duterte herself or part of their defense strategy?

“I cannot answer that. One, I don’t know if it’s a personal decision. Second, if it were advice from counsel, then we cannot disclose because as you know, attorney-client privilege stands,” Poa told reporters on Tuesday.

Regardless if it’s personal decision or a strategy, Duterte’s attendance could mean a few things.

First is to humanize the Vice President. Her supporters — who are also backers of her jailed father, International Criminal Court accused Rodrigo Duterte — always praise the Duterte family for their “authenticity,” supposed bravery, display of macho character, and their rapid-fire remarks against critics.

Duterte’s attendance could thus be an appeal to her solid base, a reminder that she is still the “brave” and “authentic” figure they look up to because she is willing to face the allegations against her.

It could be seen as Duterte’s way to also downplay the allegations that she threatened the President and his family. But if she was really serious about the threats, then why not appear at the Senate and face the witnesses eye-to-eye?

Battle of narratives

The House prosecutors are expected to highlight the threats – either by citing documentary evidence or through witness testimony. This could hurt Duterte’s image as a public official. Her video threatening the President would make the rounds again.

In addition, a House prosecutor, on Tuesday, again called out Duterte for her past absences in the months-long proceedings.

“Well, she actually has the discretion not to appear. But it doesn’t sit well…. It doesn’t look right that he would be showing disrespect to the process and disrespect to the institution. For me, that is a manifestation of disrespect,” House prosecutor and Mamamayang Liberal representative Leila de Lima said.

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So, Duterte’s attendance at the Senate on Tuesday is useful since she has consistently been absent in past proceedings. Her sudden appearance at the upper chamber creates buzz too.

This development could be used as well by her supporters to neutralize the grave allegations thrown at her by the prosecutors. This is a way to divide the attention and the narratives. On one side, there’s Duterte’s alleged threats, and on the other, the Vice President appearing at the Senate, supposedly facing her allegations.

After all, Duterte did not take any questions on Tuesday. She stuck to her one-liner – a way to control her own narrative.

Duterte’s reference to her “bloodbath” statement proves that she wants to maintain her image as the Vice President who’s not afraid to face her allegations – a figure who’s not anxious about a fierce battle with prosecutors.

But will she be able to maintain this narrative and image until the end, as the prosecutors gradually unveil their evidence against her? – Rappler.com