Overview
- The trial began on Monday with prosecutors playing video clips they say show Duterte threatening to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. killed, and the court took the threat allegation as its first charge.
- Duterte has denied wrongdoing and mostly let her lawyers speak for her, though she made a brief appearance at the Senate and said she expects to be “bloodied but unbowed.”
- A conviction requires 16 of 24 senators and the math is uncertain because several senators aligned with Duterte have been arrested, face charges or are subject to an ICC warrant.
- More than 6,000 police officers, including anti‑riot units, were deployed to secure the Senate as large pro‑ and anti‑Duterte demonstrations gathered outside the building.
- The outcome will shape the 2028 presidential field and serve as a test of public trust in Philippine institutions as the feud between the Duterte and Marcos political dynasties deepens.