The Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Wednesday confirmed it had received the summons issued by the Senate impeachment court in connection with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Zimmerman Duterte.
In a statement, the OVP said it received the summons and a copy of the Articles of Impeachment at around 10:40 a.m. Tuesday.
“The Office of the Vice President confirms receipt of the Summons issued by the Impeachment Court at approximately 10:40 AM today, 20 May 2026,” the OVP said.
Earlier, the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms was ordered to serve the written summons on Duterte together with the Articles of Impeachment after the Senate formally convened as an impeachment court on Monday.
The writ compels Duterte to respond to the impeachment charges within 10 days from receipt.
The charges include alleged betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, culpable violation of the Constitution, and other high crimes.
Meanwhile, the Bible Believers League for Morality and Democracy (BIBLEMODE) International urged the Senate to immediately proceed with Duterte’s impeachment trial, saying the chamber must uphold constitutional accountability over political expediency.
“Finding probable cause, the House Committee on Justice sent its report and recommendation on the impeachment complaints against the Vice President of the Republic to the plenary that cast an unexpected overwhelming vote to impeach the Vice President way beyond the constitutional requirement,” BIBLEMODE said in a statement furnished to the House Committee on Justice.
“This echoed the general sentiment of the Filipino people on the accountability of the Vice President, like any other public officer and employee,” it added.
The statement was also furnished to Speaker Faustino Dy III through a May 19 letter from Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., BIBLEMODE president and one of the endorsers of the fourth impeachment complaint against Duterte.
The House of Representatives earlier voted 257-25-9 to impeach Duterte and transmit the case to the Senate for trial.
“The House has done its job wonderfully. Now, the Senate must do its constitutionally mandated job,” BIBLEMODE said.
“It is now for the Senate to hear and decide this case on the merits,” it added.
The group said the Senate should act quickly because the nation is waiting for the constitutional accountability process to move forward.
“We humbly urge the Senate to act with dispatch because as the legal maxim and principle says: justice delayed is justice denied,” BIBLEMODE said.
The organization also urged senators to rise above political considerations and fulfill their constitutional duty.
“We respectfully appeal to the Senate to act immediately and rise above personal, political or other consideration,” the group said.
“It must now allow itself as an active and direct instrument in giving full meaning to the above-mentioned constitutional declarations, particularly against graft and corruption, and the accountability of every public officer and employee,” it added.
BIBLEMODE warned that any attempt to evade the impeachment process could undermine public trust in democratic institutions.
“At this moment in our life as a nation, our democratic processes and institutions hang in the balance and any attempt to shy away from this constitutional duty is in itself a betrayal of public trust that would further erode trust and confidence in such processes and institutions,” the group said.
The organization also cited constitutional provisions declaring that public office is a public trust and that the State must uphold honesty and integrity in public service.
“Corollary hereto, our Constitution declares that the State shall maintain honesty and integrity in the public service and take positive and effective measures against graft and corruption,” BIBLEMODE said.
“And that public office is a public trust, and public officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, loyalty, and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives,” it added.
BIBLEMODE also quoted passages from Leviticus and Deuteronomy, saying justice must be applied impartially regardless of status or power.
The group ended its statement by expressing support for Duterte’s impeachment and calling on the Senate to proceed with the trial without delay.
“We, the Bible Believer’s League for Morality and Democracy International, therefore, hereby express our full support to the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio and humbly request the Senate of the Republic of the Philippines to convene immediately as an impeachment court and proceed with the trial,” BIBLEMODE said.
“The nation and the people are waiting and watching. The Senate itself is at its defining moment of accountability,” it added.
