The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte presided over by Senator Francis Escudero finally began on Monday.

Escudero was installed as presiding officer of the impeachment court after receiving a favorable vote of 12 from a total of 20 senator -judges present during the trial.

He was the Senate president when the first impeachment complaint against Duterte was archived in 2025.

During the trial, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano raised a point of order opposing the motion of Senator Panfilo Lacson to vote for the presiding officer insisting that under the constitution it should be the Senate President who should preside over the impeachment court.

In his opening remarks, Escudero noted that under the Constitution "no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of all the members of the Senate."

"With twenty-four members of the Senate, a literal interpretation of this means that conviction requires the affirmative vote of at least sixteen Senator-Judges," he said.

As Escudero noted that 16 votes are required to convict Duterte, Cayetano asked the Senate impeachment court to communicate with the Sandiganbayan to allow Senators Rodante Marcoleta and Jinggoy Estrada who were both detained due to plunder cases to witness the trial.

“May I ask members of this court, through the presiding justice, to consider … communication with the Sandiganbayan for the attendance of Sens. Rodante Marcoleta and Jinggoy Estrada,” he said.

“Considering that if they do not attend at all and cannot vote, their vote will be equal to acquittal—and, as we said from the start, we want a fair impeachment trial,” he added.

For his part, Senator Raffy Tulfo, suggested to allow Marcoleta and Estrada to monitor the trial through television.

Meanwhile, Vice President Sara Duterte was just represented by her lawyers, led by Sheila Sison during the trial.

During the trial, the Senate impeachment court issued subpoenas to two National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents requested by the prosecution.

The Senate court also ordered the return of a sealed box containing the tax documents of Duterte to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

"It (BIR box) is now with the clerk of court, in the office of the secretary general," Escudero said.

"As instructed by the Chair it should be sent back to the BIR tomorrow morning in the condition it is received, meaning sealed," he added.

The trial that was adjourned around 5 pm will again resume at 2pm on Tuesday. Robina Asido/PHS