12 hours ago
2
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Vice-president of Philippines Sara Duterte (C) addresses the people gathering outside the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, on March 14, 2025, as former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte appears for the first time before International Criminal Court to face crimes against humanity charges.
AFP / Nicolas Tucat
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte returned to the country yesterday following her “personal trip” to Melbourne, Australia, the Office of the Vice President said.
According to the OVP, Duterte arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport around 1:10 p.m. on Philippine Airlines flight PR 210.
Duterte left the country on June 17 and arrived in Melbourne the following day, where she led the “Free Duterte Now” gathering on June 22.
She will lead today’s 2025 KASARILYAAN, the OVP’s annual Pride Reception in San Fernando City, Pampanga.
The OVP said this year’s reception will bring together LGBTQIA+ community leaders, advocates and allies.
With Australia eyed as a possible destination in case the International Criminal Court (ICC) grants her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, interim release, the Vice President has been on a “global tour” to rally support from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
In Melbourne, Sara reiterated racism allegations, citing the older Duterte as the first Asian charged by the ICC.
“All (were) African countries. PRRD was the first Asian charged by the ICC and so we ask, why were there no western cases?” she asked.
“It is clearly politically motivated. It happened during the start of the campaign where president Duterte started to campaign for the candidates of PDP (Partido Demokratikong Pilipino),” Sara noted.
Impeachment trial
As Duterte formally pleaded not guilty to the charges in her impeachment complaint, the Senate sitting as an impeachment court now faces the task of addressing her legal argument questioning the tribunal’s jurisdiction over the case.
In her 35-page answer to the court’s writ of summons, Duterte armed herself with the Senate’s own vote to remand the Articles of Impeachment to the House of Representatives and used it to argue why the Impeachment Court had already lost its jurisdiction over the case.
“Considering that the Articles of Impeachment were referred back to the HOR, there should be no reason for the issuance of Summons to compel the Vice President to answer the charges contained therein. Thus, the Vice President cannot be compelled to answer allegations in Articles of Impeachment that had been ordered returned to its source,” Duterte’s answer “ad cautelam” read.
An ad cautelam pleading indicates that while the party was complying for the sake of caution, it also signals to the court that it is not fully conceding to the process or the court’s jurisdiction.
Duterte was referring to the Senate Impeachment Court’s June 11 vote to return the Articles of Impeachment to the House of Representatives for certain certifications, one of which is intended to confirm that the complaint met the constitutional requirements, including the one-third vote of all House members and the one-year ban on repeat impeachment filings.
The other was from the 20th Congress that it would pursue the impeachment trial – which House members said they could not yet comply with as the body has yet to exist.
Duterte’s lawyers said as the Articles of Impeachment are no longer with the impeachment court, requiring her to answer allegations in the impeachment case would be “tantamount to requiring an accused to answer criminal charges which the Court has not yet decided to act upon or receive.” — Jose Rodel Clapano, Delon Porcalla
