Just as the country once searched for Vice President Sara Duterte during moments of national crisis, we are once again looking for her—only this time, she is the one being asked to answer.

It seems that Vice President Sara Duterte has turned absence into a recurring political habit, even as Congress prepares for one of the country’s biggest political trials. It can be recalled that she was missing throughout the meetings held by the House of Representatives. She was once again absent when the upper chamber conducted a pre-trial conference. To compensate for her nonappearance, she sent her legal team, led by litigator Sheila Sison, instead. While this pattern of absence already seems excessive, reports suggest that she is also unlikely to attend the opening of her impeachment trial on Monday, July 6, as the presentation of evidence commences.

As Duterte gradually fades into the background, the burden of defending both her case and her public image now rests almost entirely on her lawyers.

Her legal team’s strategy is as rigid as it gets. They seem to be taking slow, deliberate, and careful steps—almost as if they’re playing it safely as the trial approaches. Michael Poa—a former Department of Education (DepEd) official and the defense’s spokesperson—leans toward providing safe answers when asked pressing questions related to the Vice President or their legal strategy. They would also steer clear of expressing their opinions on certain impeachment matters, like questions pertaining to the conviction threshold among others, as reported by Rappler.

Legally, this may be a sound strategy. Politically, however, every unanswered question leaves more room for public doubt.

No answer is an answer in itself. Their inability to provide sound explanations to the media may raise questions about their confidence as they progress through the trial. It leaves an impression that they are constantly tiptoeing, avoiding mistakes that may make matters worse. Moreover, by keeping information scarce, the defense controls what becomes public. With this, reporters have very little to scrutinize, political analysts have less to nitpick about, and opposing counsel is left with fewer clues about the defense’s next move.

When even silence is calculated, it invites more speculation about the Vice President’s noticeable absence. Perhaps the most prominent strategy they have is to avoid Duterte's exposure to the public before and during the outset of the biggest trial in the country.

However, given Sara’s questionable reputation whenever she faces the public or speaks publicly, I get where her defense team is coming from. If I were one of them, I would also dread the moment she opens her mouth. In fact, one of the articles of impeachment against her concerns the grave threats made against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family—particularly the assassination threat—during her two-hour press conference on November 23, 2024. Her remarks like the infamous “I imagined myself cutting his head off,” pertaining to the President, show just how dangerous it is to let her speak in public without proper briefing—at least, from the point of view of her legal team.

However, beyond legal strategy, her absence looks less like a calculated strategy and more like a deliberate escape from carrying the burden of answering questions she cannot fully address.

Public office is not merely about exercising power—it is also about facing scrutiny. It also entails going out of one’s way to face accountability and defend oneself from allegations surrounding one’s name when needed—not only to defend one’s integrity, but also the public trust. For someone who holds the second-highest government position in the country, Sara’s continued absence projects an unwillingness to personally account for the office she holds. From her absence during moments when she is needed most, to her nonappearance before Congress, Duterte has cultivated a reputation for being present only when it is politically convenient. And in a country that rarely affords the luxury of convenience, it seems as though she has made a definitive choice.

This pattern becomes more troubling when taking into context her desire to run for the presidency in the upcoming 2028 elections. If she is unwilling to face the people and publicly defend her integrity, how can Filipinos expect her to shoulder the even greater responsibility? If this is going to be a recurring issue, she risks losing not merely political support, but the moral authority expected of someone seeking to lead the nation.

As the impeachment proceedings begin, Sara Duterte still has the opportunity to face the allegations against her—not only through her lawyers, but through her own willingness to be accountable. Her legal team’s tight-lipped strategy suggests that they know exactly how volatile her public exposure can be. However, hiding from public scrutiny cannot make the allegations of misuse of funds or grave threats disappear forever.

Whether she enters the Senate chamber or leaves her defense entirely to her lawyers, the trial will move forward. Sara Duterte can choose to stay hidden, but she cannot hide from the historical verdict that awaits her.

The Frontman