The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte submitted her answer to the articles of impeachment on Monday.

The defense team led by lawyer Michael Poa thanked the Senate as they were able to file Duterte's answer in an orderly manner.

Poa said the camp of Duterte sought for the dismissal of her impeachment before the Senate.

"We want the articles of impeachment to be dismissed altogether, but whatever happens, we are prepared to mount a defense," he said.

The executive summary provided by the Office of the Vice President noted that "the Articles of Impeachment are constitutionally infirm, procedurally defective, and substantively deficient."

It stressed that "the House Committee on Justice (COJ) conducted a “trial” but trial can be done only by the Senate."

"There are clear indications and declarations that the COJ had predetermined the impeachment of the Vice President even before purported additional evidence were received, completed, and assessed," it stated.

"The proceedings were tainted by pre-judgment. Even before the conclusion of the hearings, several members of the Committee publicly declared that sufficient votes already existed to impeach the Vice President and that the evidence against her was allegedly already overwhelming. These pronouncements reveal that the outcome had been predetermined long before the proceedings formally concluded, thereby casting serious doubt on the impartiality and integrity of the process," it added.

It also explained that in answering the impeachment complaint, "due process demands that the respondent is confronted with all the accusations and supposed evidence" but "in the “trial” conducted by the COJ, new pieces of evidence not included in the impeachment complaints were introduced which the Vice President was not given the opportunity to confront and answer."

"This is not allowed and goes against rules of fair play," it stated.

"The Articles rely extensively upon evidence that was never part of, nor attached to, the impeachment complaints referred to the Committee on Justice for evaluation," the summary added.

The impeachment trial of Duterte is expected to officially begin on July 6, 2026.

The Senate convened as an impeachment court last May 18 after the articles of impeachment against Duterte were transmitted by the House of Representative to the Upper Chamber on May 13. Robina Asido/PHS