Abbey M.

Vice President Sara Duterte arrived at the Senate on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, but only to meet with her defense team at the Senate holding area, according to defense spokesperson Atty. Michael Poa.

Poa said the Vice President is not attending the impeachment trial proceedings, as she has other engagements in Manila.

Upon arriving at the Senate, Duterte spoke briefly to reporters, referencing her earlier remark about wanting a "bloodbath" in her impeachment trial. She said: "In this bloodbath and bludgeoning, I will be bloodied but unbowed."

According to Poa, Duterte decided to go straight to the Senate because her defense team was already there, saying the Vice President was minding the convenience of her legal team.

Poa also said he was not sure whether Duterte had watched the first day of the trial, which opened on July 6.

Duterte skipped the opening day of her impeachment trial as well, with Poa previously explaining that she was attending a planning session with the Office of the Vice President.

Tuesday's session marked the second day of the trial, with an official and an agent of the National Bureau of Investigation set to be the first witnesses to take the stand, testifying for the prosecution on the article accusing Duterte of grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family.

Under the trial schedule approved by the Senate impeachment court, the House prosecution panel has 62 trial dates to present its case, while the defense has 30 trial dates, for a total of 92 trial days.

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Quezon City has logged a sharp rise in Covid-19 infections over the past three weeks, pushing local health authorities to ramp up efforts to track and contain the spread.

The Quezon City Epidemiology and Surveillance Division (QCESD) said in a social media post on Sunday that cases climbed by 265.22 percent, going from 23 infections between May 21 and June 10 to 84 infections from June 11 to July 1. The city has now logged 146 confirmed cases since the start of the year.

Data from the QCESD showed children aged 14 and below make up the largest share of cases at 30 percent, while those aged 25 to 29 and senior citizens aged 60 and above each account for 16 percent. Female patients outnumbered male patients, with 66 cases, or 62 percent, compared to 41 cases, or 38 percent, among men.

District 4 posted the highest concentration of cases among the city's six districts at 32.71 percent, followed by District 1 at 22.43 percent. At the barangay level, Doña Imelda logged the most cases with 11, while Culiat, Salvacion, Santa Teresita, Santo Cristo, Sauyo, Socorro, and Tandang Sora each recorded four cases.

The QCESD said it will continue monitoring the situation and watching for signs of clustering among the new infections. It also renewed its call for residents to observe basic health precautions to curb the spread of respiratory illnesses, including covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, frequent handwashing or use of alcohol-based sanitizer, wearing a mask when symptomatic, avoiding touching the face with unwashed hands, keeping a safe distance from others while sick, and staying home to recover.

"Patuloy na hinihikayat ang publiko na sundin ang mga pangunahing hakbang upang maiwasan ang pagkalat ng COVID-19 (The public is continuously encouraged to follow the basic steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19)," the QCESD said.

The health office also advised parents to bring children showing respiratory symptoms to the nearest health center, and urged older adults and those with weakened immune systems to seek medical consultation as soon as symptoms appear to lower the risk of complications.

Residents may self-report through QCESD hotlines 8988-4242 loc. 1609, 8703-2759, and 0962-274-7107.

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The question of who should preside over Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial has become one of the sharpest points of dispute inside the Senate, but the short answer is that the Senate president is the default choice, not a constitutional requirement.

The original rule

Under the Senate's original rules and long-standing practice, the Senate president automatically presides over an impeachment trial. The only exception written into the 1987 Constitution is when the President of the Philippines is the one on trial — in that case, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presides instead.

The amendment

Weeks before the trial opened, the Senate adopted Senate Resolution No. 48 on June 3, 2026, amending Rule II of the Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Trials. The amendment states that the Senate president shall preside in all other impeachment cases "unless the Senate, by a majority vote of the members present, elects another senator as the presiding officer."

A group of nine senators led by former Senate president Alan Peter Cayetano has since asked the Supreme Court to void the entire June 3 session — the same session where the rule change was adopted — arguing it was improperly convened.

What happened on July 6 (the first day of the impeachment trial against VP Sara Duterte)

When the impeachment court convened to try Duterte on July 6, senators used the new option. Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero was elected presiding officer by a vote of 12–8, after being nominated by Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson. 

Senate President Sherwin "Win" Gatchalian, who would have presided under the previous rules, remains Senate president, Escudero takes over only the presiding role for the impeachment trial, sitting beside Gatchalian at the podium.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano raised a point of order on the Senate floor opposing the move, citing records from the 1986 Constitutional Commission to argue that the framers intended the Senate president — not an elected alternative — to preside.

Sen. Pia Cayetano likewise urged her colleagues to examine those same commission records, arguing they support the position that the Senate president should preside over impeachment trials other than those involving the president himself.

Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan pushed back, arguing that the Constitution names only the Chief Justice as presiding officer, and only for the trial of a president — it is silent on who should preside in all other cases. He said this silence leaves the matter to the Senate, which the Constitution itself directs to promulgate its own rules of procedure for impeachment.

The Senate president remains the presumed presiding officer under Senate rules, but that role is not fixed by the Constitution and can be reassigned by majority vote — which is exactly what happened when Escudero was elected over Gatchalian on the trial's opening day. The dispute is not fully settled, however, with a Supreme Court petition still pending over the legality of the June 3 session that produced the rule change.

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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. defended himself against calls for him to resign over the flood control project anomalies.

According to the President, he himself exposed the irregularities in the said projects, which he said were not addressed by previous administrations.

However, President Marcos emphasized that his administration's fight against the flood control anomaly continues.

President Marcos questioned why past administrations did not take similar action if they were aware of the same problems.

"And I'm the only one that has started to do anything about this. Bakit ang mga nakaramba na Pangulo, nakita pa kayong ginawang gano'n? Meron ba silang kinulong? Meron ba silang pi-freeze na account? Meron ba silang mga investigation na ginawa? Wala. Sa akin lang. Tapos sasabihin, ako daw ang may kagagawan. Eh kung talagang racket ko yun, ba't ko sisiraan yung racket ko? Diba? That makes absolutely no sense.”

PBBM also recalled that the problem was already recognized as early as the previous administration, but no action was taken.

"And back to about that time 2017-2018 and at the time the president, President (Rodrigo) Duterte acknowledged that there were great problems in terms of the flood control, the flood control projects. Pero wala namang nangyari. Having acknowledged it, it did not find accountability in anybody. So I guess that was left up to me to do. And so we are still doing it. We're still working on it. As I said, the more we look, the more we investigate, the more we find."

Double security measures are being implemented within the Senate premises, with every room where visitors and media are directed being surrounded by security personnel.

As the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte began at the Senate today, tight security was enforced inside and outside the building.

Everyone entering the Senate is required to have their online application approved through the Senate's Visitor Management System (VMS) before being allowed inside the building.

Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Alfred Corpuz earlier said that Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel have been deployed within the Senate premises, in sufficient numbers to ensure the area is safe and secured before the start and until the end of the first day of the impeachment hearing.

According to the PNP, a total of 6,630 personnel from various units will ensure security for the impeachment proceedings.

A special task group has also been activated to monitor police operations before, during, and even at the conclusion of the trial for the vice president.

CCTV cameras have also been added in various strategic locations.

This morning, K-9 units also conducted an inspection, going room by room, including the media rooms where press conferences for the defense and prosecution panels will be held, as well as the plenary hall where the impeachment trial itself will take place at 2PM today.

The PNP said it continues to monitor developments and is prepared to make operational adjustments to ensure the impeachment proceedings remain safe and peaceful.

For now, all eyes are on the arrival of each party's camp.

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