VP Sara Duterte skipping first impeachment hearing

LIVE UPDATES: Sara Duterte impeachment hearing | March 25, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte will not attend the first hearing on the impeachment complaints against her before the House of Representatives scheduled on March 25, Wednesday, her camp announced on Tuesday.

Her legal team’s spokesperson, Atty. Michael Poa confirmed this to the INQUIRER in a Viber message—just a day before the scheduled hearing.

“We confirm that counsel for the Vice President submitted a letter today to the Committee on Justice stating that the Vice President will not be attending the hearing tomorrow, in light of the constitutional objections raised therein,” Poa said.

Prior to the confirmation of Duterte’s non-attendance, Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, who chairs the House committee on justice, already warned the vice president that skipping the hearing would risk her losing the chance to convince lawmakers that the complaints she’s facing have no probable cause.

READ: Luistro: Skipping hearing hurts Sara Duterte’s bid to junk impeach raps

She explained that if Duterte chooses not to attend, allegations against her would remain unchallenged, and committee members “might vote in favor of the existence of probable cause.”

Still, with Duterte’s camp now confirming that the vice president will not attend the March 25 hearing—Luistro also previously said that she could still choose to show up in the subsequent hearings set on April 14, 22, and 29. /gsg