By Wilnard Bacelonia | Philippine News Agency
The Senate impeachment court has carved out 11 whole-day hearing dates in October for Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial before proceedings take a month-long back seat to deliberations on the proposed 2027 national budget.
Presiding officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Tuesday formally announced the court’s calendar through November as senators attempt to accommodate the impeachment case, regular legislative work and scrutiny of next year’s spending plan.
In September, impeachment proceedings will generally occupy the morning until 2:30 p.m., with regular Senate sessions beginning at 3:00 p.m. and budget hearings running alongside the legislative calendar.
The Senate earlier agreed that Mondays to Wednesdays would generally be used for the impeachment trial, while Thursdays and Fridays would be devoted to whole-day budget hearings.
The pace will intensify in October, when the impeachment court is scheduled to sit for the entire day on Oct. 1 and 2, Oct. 5 to 9, and Oct. 12 to 15 — a total of 11 hearing days.
Sen. Escudero said the arrangement would allow the court to devote longer stretches to the trial before senators turn their full attention to the national budget.
“Trial shall be suspended to give way for the budget deliberations and hearings in preparation of the Senate version of the budget,” he said.
No impeachment trial is scheduled from Oct. 16 to Nov. 8 while the Senate Committee on Finance completes budget hearings.
Beginning Nov. 9, senators are expected to take up the proposed General Appropriations Act in plenary for about two weeks, effectively extending the impeachment pause to around Nov. 18.
“We are still trying to squeeze in a trial date in those two weeks, at least one, but I’m not sure yet. So, most likely, the trial will be suspended until Nov. 18,” Sen. Escudero said.
The court could resume regular impeachment proceedings as early as Nov. 19 or 20, or the following week, depending on the progress of budget deliberations.
The calendar, however, remains subject to adjustments as the court tackles procedural and constitutional issues outside regular witness testimony.
The court has already set aside Sept. 16 to hear from amici curiae, or legal experts, on the disputed voting threshold for VP Duterte’s conviction, while Sept. 23 is reserved for oral arguments by the prosecution and defense and a possible vote on the issue.
The trial is also taking a brief pause this week to allow both camps to mark more than 1,800 bank, insurance and other financial documents ahead of the prosecution’s presentation of its unexplained wealth case.
The new schedule replaces earlier tentative arrangements that had been under discussion as senators sought to keep the impeachment case moving without sacrificing scrutiny of the proposed P7.2-trillion 2027 national budget.
