Vice President Sara Duterte's lawyers on Wednesday claimed House prosecutors had weakened their own case under Article IV of the impeachment complaint after acknowledging that her controversial Nov. 23, 2024 statements did not prove she had actually hired an assassin to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Even before House prosecutors presented their first witness, the opening day of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial on Monday became a battle over competing interpretations of the Constitution and other laws, with rival political camps offering conflicting claims that quickly spread on social media.

The Senate impeachment court is set to formally begin the historic trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, July 6, marking the start of what is expected to be a lengthy and politically charged proceeding that could determine the future of the country's second-highest elected official.

The Center for International Law (CenterLaw) asked the Supreme Court on July 3 to declare former president Rodrigo Duterte's bloody war on drugs unconstitutional and to grant judicial protection to petitioners who are victims of the campaign.