By Benjamin Cuaresma
The House prosecution panel has called out Vice President Sara Duterte over what it described as her “selective attendance,” questioning why she chose to personally accompany her brother, Davao City Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte, during his arraignment while remaining absent from her own impeachment trial.
House prosecutor and Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said Friday that while the Vice President’s presence at her brother’s proceedings was understandable, she should have shown the same commitment to confronting the accusations against her before the Senate impeachment court.
“Mayroon pong selective attendance ang Pangalawang Pangulo,” Ridon said, noting that Pulong’s case naturally mattered to Sara because he was her brother.
But, he argued, the more important proceedings for the Vice President were those directly involving her own legal and political accountability.
Ridon pointed out that Duterte did not attend any of the 15 days of her impeachment trial, despite facing allegations that include culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, bribery and other high crimes.
“If mayroon siyang righteous indignation dito po sa proceedings na ginaganap laban sa kanya, she should be there to look at the prosecutors in the eye,” Ridon said, challenging Duterte to personally confront the prosecutors if she believed the accusations against her were baseless.
“But she hasn’t done it. Chief Justice Corona did it,” he added.
Prosecution spokesman and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said the panel understood why Duterte felt compelled to stand beside her brother during his arraignment.
But Adiong stressed that her responsibility as Vice President extended beyond her family.
He said the same loyalty and sense of obligation Duterte demonstrated toward her brother should also have been evident in her willingness to face the allegations brought against her.
According to Adiong, the public has yet to see that responsibility because Duterte has repeatedly stayed away from the impeachment proceedings.
The Vice President accompanied Pulong during his arraignment on Aug. 13 at the Regional Trial Court Branch 52 in Davao City.
Pulong declined to enter a plea, citing a jurisdictional challenge involving the case and its information.
The grave threats case was filed by businessman Kristone John Patria and stemmed from an alleged confrontation at a Davao City bar on Feb. 23, 2025.
Ridon also drew attention to the fact that both Duterte siblings are facing grave threats-related cases.
He described the situation as a “like brother, like sister” scenario and raised a pointed question about whether such allegations could somehow “run in the family.”
He said the issue was among the questions that would have to be addressed moving forward.
Duterte, meanwhile, has also been facing a separate grave threats complaint filed by the Department of Justice over her remarks that she had hired someone to kill President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Martin Romualdez if she herself were killed.
The Vice President has not attended any of the 15 days of her impeachment trial.
She appeared at the Senate in July only to meet with members of her defense team.
Ridon said the prosecution still hoped Duterte would eventually face the Senate impeachment court and answer questions surrounding the allegations against her, including those involving the use of confidential funds.
The prosecution’s criticism now puts renewed focus on the contrast between Duterte’s decision to personally stand beside her brother in court and her continued absence from proceedings where she herself is the respondent.
ia/xf
