Senator Loren Legarda. Photo courtesy of Loren Legarda/Facebook.
Sen. Loren Legarda said the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte should be guided by evidence, the Constitution and institutional duty.
Legarda, a four-term senator who has participated in three impeachment trials, said preparing for the proceedings was not only a legal matter.
She said impeachment tests the judgment and conscience of senator-judges, as well as the strength of the country’s institutions.
Legarda said the process should rise above political factions and personal attacks and should focus on whether the accusations are enough to warrant conviction.
She previously took part in the impeachment proceedings involving President Joseph Estrada, Chief Justice Renato Corona and Duterte’s earlier impeachment case in 2025.
Legarda said she manifested on the first day of the trial that the issue of who should preside over the impeachment court must be resolved in line with the intent of the framers of the 1987 Constitution.
She warned that any deviation from the traditional setup could raise questions on the validity and legitimacy of the proceedings, especially with a pending Supreme Court challenge involving the June 3 Senate session and Senate Resolution No. 430.
Legarda said her position before the impeachment court was without prejudice to the Supreme Court’s final ruling, adding that she was not waiving any arguments in the case under judicial review. The impeachment court is set to hold sessions until July 22 before resuming on July 28.