Sara Duterte: Senator-judges can’t be asked to inhibit based on biases
Vice President Sara Duterte — Photo from Inday Sara Duterte/Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday said senator-judges on her impeachment trial should not be asked to inhibit solely because of their political biases.
Duterte made the pronouncement amid calls to have some senator-judges recuse themselves from the trial, particularly those who the vice president herself endorsed during the 2025 midterm elections.
READ: Sara Duterte impeachment: What you need to know
“We cannot ask senator-judges to inhibit themselves based on bias, because a person’s position is simply whether they are for or against Inday Sara,” said Duterte in FIlipino in a press conference in Davao City.
“If that’s our basis for inhibition, then we should also ask senators who are biased against Sara Duterte to inhibit themselves,” she added.
Duterte singled out Senator Risa Hontiveros, who she said should also be inhibited along with those who support her for openly expressing her alleged desire to take down her family.
“So what I’m saying is, let’s give our senator-judges the benefit of the doubt, that they will do their job fairly, in accordance with the oath they took as senator-judges,” she said.
Asked if she will personally attend her trial, Duterte didn’t respond directly and instead said it is up to her lawyers to determine if she will have to present herself before the Senate impeachment court when the time comes.
Sara and her defense team had already been summoned by the Senate impeachment court on June 11.
She is facing trial after she was impeached by the House of Representatives last February 5.
