By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte departed for Hong Kong on Friday, November 6, for a two-day visit, arriving back just a day before her defense team begins presenting evidence in her ongoing impeachment trial.
The Office of the Vice President said Duterte would attend various engagements, including an event organized by the Filipino community. Her trip was authorized by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98 and the Office of the President.
Duterte is facing a grave threats case arising from her November 2024 remarks involving President Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos and former speaker Martin Romualdez.
The OVP stressed that Duterte would finance the trip using personal funds, with no government money, facilities or resources involved.
Meanwhile, the Senate impeachment court is preparing to resume hearings on November 9. The defense has requested subpoenas for 24 witnesses expected to testify during next week’s proceedings.
In a separate development, the OVP denied reports that approximately 10 gigabytes of documents had been stolen from its scheduling platform, maintaining that the system is not a government website and contains no confidential or classified government information.
The office also questioned whether the allegations were politically motivated to discredit Duterte and the OVP.
ia/xf
