Sara Duterte takes ‘personal trip’ on crucial day of impeachment case

Vice President Sara Duterte —File photo.

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte flew to Malaysia on a “personal trip” on Tuesday, according to her office, hours before the Senate was to hold a session that later saw the body convening into an impeachment court, one that she may have to face upon her return.

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) issued the statement around 11 a.m. to announce that Duterte had left the country without giving flight details or the date she is coming back.

“Vice President Sara Duterte is traveling to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on a personal trip with her family,” the OVP said.

But it said Duterte was also scheduled to attend an “OVP program consultation” with overseas Filipinos in the Malaysian capital on June 12, or on Philippine Independence Day.

READ: Impeachment court sends Sara Duterte case back to House

Her trip was announced on a pivotal day in her impeachment case, with the Senate, after about two hours of debate, convening into an impeachment court.

Her defense lawyers on Monday said they were “ready to confront the charges” but argued that the impeachment complaint “suffers from serious constitutional infirmities.”

The Vice President has yet to face the Philippine media since returning to Manila from a 10-day trip to Qatar and the Netherlands.

In the Netherlands, she visited her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently detained at a facility of the International Criminal Court, where he has been charged with crimes against humanity for the thousands killed during his antidrug campaign. /cb