The House prosecution panel on Tuesday questioned the surprise appearance of Vice President Sara Duterte at the Senate after she arrived before the second day of her impeachment trial and left a cryptic statement: "In this bloodbath and bludgeoning, I will be bloodied but unbowed."

Duterte arrived at the Senate shortly before noon and met with members of her defense team.

At the opening of the day's proceedings, private prosecutor Atty. Lorna Kapunan asked whether Duterte intended to personally appear before the Senate impeachment court.

"If the Vice President is in the premises, does she intend to appear personally before this impeachment court?" Kapunan asked the defense panel.

Kapunan said the prosecution wanted to clarify the matter because it was considering asking the impeachment court to require Duterte's presence in connection with Article I of the Articles of Impeachment, which concerns grave threats.

"One of the key witnesses, though a hostile witness, would be the Vice President. Therefore, if we can inquire if it is her intention to appear in the premises of the Senate because we are respectfully informing this honorable court that we will file a written request for her presence in connection with the Article on Grave Threats," Kapunan said.

Article I accuses Duterte of betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution over her public statements in November 2024 claiming she had instructed an assassin to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez if anything happened to her.

Responding to Kapunan's manifestation, Senate impeachment court presiding officer Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero said the impeachment rules do not require the respondent to personally attend any hearing or trial.

"Whether she is in the building earlier or arrived after, it is totally up to the respondent because she is represented through her counsel. Should the counsel for the prosecutors desire to call the respondent herself, the court will act on the motion once made or filed," Escudero said.