MANILA, Philippines — The political battle surrounding Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial is moving beyond the Senate courtroom, with House prosecutor Terry Ridon rejecting claims from her brother, Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte, that the proceedings are being driven toward a “pre-determined narrative.”
Ridon pushed back on August 21, saying there is no basis to conclude that the outcome of the Vice President’s impeachment case has already been decided.
His response came after Paolo Duterte said his sister’s desire for a speedy impeachment proceeding should not be interpreted as a willingness to make a “speedy surrender to a pre-determined narrative.”
For Ridon, however, the real test will come from what prosecutors and the defense are able to prove before the Senate sitting as an impeachment court.
“I don’t think it is accurate to even say na meron pong predetermined narrative,” Ridon said, stressing that the prosecution and defense each have their own version of events to present before senator-judges.
Ridon: Evidence, Not Politics, Should Decide Sara Duterte’s Fate
Ridon said the prosecution will continue presenting evidence supporting the impeachment allegations, while Duterte’s lawyers will have the same opportunity to challenge testimony, question evidence and present their own witnesses and documents.
According to Ridon, the eventual decision should depend on the “totality” of what both sides place before the impeachment court.
“In the end, hindi politika ang magsasalita dito,” Ridon said in remarks reported by several outlets. His position is that conviction or acquittal should hinge on whether the prosecution meets its evidentiary burden and whether the defense succeeds in rebutting the accusations.
That distinction is important.
Neither Ridon’s assertion that the process is evidence-driven nor Paolo Duterte’s warning about a supposedly predetermined narrative establishes what the Senate will ultimately decide. Both are political and legal arguments being made while the trial remains ongoing.
What Is Sara Duterte Accused Of?
The impeachment case is not built around a single controversy.
Reports on the prosecution’s case say the allegations being pursued include issues involving the Vice President’s handling of confidential funds as well as accusations connected to threats, bribery and unexplained wealth. Duterte has denied wrongdoing, and her defense has the right to contest the allegations and the evidence supporting them.
The House formally set out articles of impeachment against Vice President Duterte in House Resolution No. 989, filed on May 5, 2026. Official House records list Ridon among the measure’s principal authors.
The House later moved the impeachment case to the Senate, where senators sit as judges rather than simply as ordinary legislators.
That means the political arguments dominating press conferences and social media are not, by themselves, supposed to determine guilt or innocence.
The decisive question is whether the evidence formally admitted and tested during the trial is strong enough to convince the constitutionally required number of senator-judges to convict.
Paolo Duterte’s Warning Comes Amid Wider Family Pushback
Paolo Duterte’s latest statement is also part of a broader pushback from members of the Duterte camp against how the impeachment proceedings have been framed publicly.
Just days earlier, he criticized private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan after she discussed what she described as a broader “culture of violence” while commenting on the impeachment controversy.
Paolo Duterte accused critics of trying to use unrelated events to reinforce an anti-Duterte narrative and argued that criminal incidents should not be turned into impeachment propaganda.
That exchange shows how the impeachment fight has expanded far beyond technical questions involving documents, witnesses and constitutional violations.
It has also become a battle over public perception.
The Duterte camp is increasingly portraying parts of the proceedings as politically motivated, while prosecutors insist the public should focus on the evidence presented in court.
Prosecutors Want a Faster Trial Too
Interestingly, both sides have expressed interest in avoiding an unnecessarily prolonged proceeding, although they disagree sharply over what a “speedy” process should mean.
Ridon has publicly supported holding impeachment hearings as often as four days a week, saying additional trial dates would allow prosecutors to present witnesses more efficiently and speed up the proceedings.
That creates one of the central tensions surrounding the trial.
Sara Duterte’s allies want speed without what they see as a rush toward conviction.
Prosecutors want speed without sacrificing the presentation of their evidence.
And the Senate impeachment court must balance both demands while preserving due process.
The Bigger Question: Has Public Opinion Already Outpaced the Trial?
Paolo Duterte’s phrase “pre-determined narrative” points to a broader problem surrounding highly politicized impeachment proceedings.
Long before senator-judges cast their final votes, competing camps are already trying to define what the trial supposedly means.
To Duterte supporters, it may reinforce claims that the Vice President is being politically targeted.
To her critics, the trial is a constitutional accountability process in which allegations against one of the country’s highest officials must finally be examined publicly.
But neither narrative is equivalent to a Senate verdict.
Ridon’s argument is that only the evidence formally placed before the impeachment court should ultimately matter.
Whether the Senate proceedings can remain insulated from the enormous political pressure surrounding the case may become one of the biggest tests of the entire impeachment process.
Because as the prosecution presents more witnesses—and as Duterte’s lawyers begin dismantling or answering those claims—the fight may no longer be simply about whether a “narrative” was predetermined.
It will be about which side can actually prove its story when the evidence is put under scrutiny.
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