Team DailyPedia
The Office of the Vice President (OVP) requested permission to bring its own refrigerator, coffee maker, and catering service to the defense holding area during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, Senate Secretary Renato Bantug confirmed.
Speaking to reporters, Bantug said the requests were among the administrative and logistical matters raised by OVP Chief of Staff Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez during her visit to the Senate.
According to Bantug, Lopez first inquired about the number of seats allocated to the defense panel, to which he confirmed that 45 seats had been reserved.
He said the OVP then asked whether it could bring its own equipment into the holding area.
“The second concern was in the holding area; they asked whether they could bring in their own equipment. Of course. They asked if they could bring in a refrigerator and a coffee maker, and I said yes. They also asked whether they could engage their own caterer, so yes,” Bantug said.
Bantug stressed that the requests were not unusual, noting that similar arrangements had also been made during previous impeachment trials.
“In the previous impeachment trial, I also coordinated with both panels and they also brought in some equipment,” he said, adding that the prosecution has likewise engaged its own caterer and service providers.
The OVP later clarified that the requested appliances and catering services were not intended solely for Vice President Duterte, but for the entire defense team as well as members of the media covering their side during the proceedings.
Lopez’s visit to the Senate drew public attention after it came a day following the impeachment court’s issuance of a subpoena directing her to appear as one of the prosecution’s witnesses.
However, Bantug clarified that the meeting had been scheduled two days earlier and dealt exclusively with housekeeping and logistical concerns.
“Nothing about the case was discussed. Again, it was purely housekeeping, purely administrative,” Bantug explained.
He also said he did not serve the subpoena during the meeting, emphasizing that he met Lopez in his capacity as Senate secretary rather than as clerk of the impeachment court.
Meanwhile, impeachment court spokesperson Atty. Regie Tongol confirmed that the Senate has prepared a holding room for Duterte should she decide to personally attend the proceedings.
According to Tongol, the arrangement was made “to respect the office that she holds as well, and the stature that she has in our system of government.”
Vice President Duterte has so far attended only a meeting with her legal team inside the Senate but has yet to personally participate in the impeachment proceedings.
She is facing impeachment over allegations that include unexplained wealth, bribery, misuse of confidential funds, and alleged grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
