With the Senate mired in a leadership dispute that threatens to overshadow preparations for her impeachment trial, Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday said the chamber's troubles stem from a lack of direction and vision—an affliction she suggested extends beyond the legislature and into the country's leadership.

Speaking on the sidelines of relief operations in earthquake-stricken Mindanao, Duterte pointed to what she described as a failure of leadership behind the increasingly public divisions within the Senate, where rival camps continue to assert authority over the handling of the impeachment proceedings against her.

“May mga klase na leadership. Lahat naman ng tao nagre-recognize kung ano ang direction ng isang leader,” Duterte told reporters.

“Pero kapag wala yung direction, wala yung vision ay nagkakanya-kanya talaga ang mga tao. Yan yung nakikita natin hindi lang sa Senado but sa buong bansa,” she added.

Her remarks came as uncertainty continues to surround the Senate's next steps after a dramatic power struggle that saw Senator Alan Peter Cayetano assume the Senate presidency while Senate President Pro Tempore Sherwin Gatchalian continued to exercise functions related to the impeachment court.

The leadership question has taken on constitutional significance as the Senate is tasked with trying the impeachment case against the vice president, making clarity over authority and procedure crucial to the proceedings.

Despite the dispute, the bloc aligned with Gatchalian has pressed ahead with trial preparations. Gatchalian earlier directed the parties to submit witness lists and documentary evidence and announced that a pretrial conference is scheduled on 18 June to tackle procedural matters before the formal trial proper.

He has likewise maintained that any conviction would require the constitutionally mandated vote of two-thirds of all senators, or 16 senator-judges.

Asked what message she had for senators navigating the impasse, Duterte stopped short of naming any individual lawmaker but urged the chamber to determine its priorities and adhere to its constitutional role.

“Mas mabuti sana kung may makasagot kung ano ba talaga ang ire-recognize at ano ba dapat ang ways forward ng ating Senado,” she said.

Leaving defense to lawyers

While political tensions continue to build in Manila, Duterte said she has largely stepped back from crafting her legal strategy and has left decisions to her lawyers.

“Sa aking estado na ngayon ako ay client, kinlaro ko sa mga abogado na gawin nating maliit lang yung team para madaling makapag-usap,” she said.

“Kung ano yung sa tingin nila pinakatama at pinakamabisa at pinakamagaling paraan ng kanilang defense ay susunod lang ako bilang kliyente nila.”

The vice president is facing impeachment charges arising from allegations that include misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth and betrayal of public trust. Duterte has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and has described the case as politically motivated.

Relief work

The vice president was in Soccsksargen to assess relief operations following the powerful earthquake that struck parts of Mindanao earlier this week.

According to Duterte, the Office of the Vice President's Disaster Operations Center immediately dispatched food trucks to General Santos City, where volunteers prepared hot meals for rescuers and first responders conducting search-and-rescue operations in collapsed structures.

The OVP also distributed rice and food packs to bereaved families and relief boxes to residents displaced by the quake in affected communities, including parts of Cotabato City.

Duterte later visited injured survivors in hospitals and met with families mourning relatives who died in the disaster in General Santos City and neighboring Sarangani province.

Asked about her message to families affected by the tragedy, Duterte stressed the importance of disaster preparedness.

“Ang lindol wala siyang warning kaya ang pinaka-mabisa na panlaban na magawa natin ay yung paghahanda natin kung ano yung dapat nating gawin kapag nandiyan na yung lindol para hindi tayo nagpapanik,” she said.