The Senate, convening as an Impeachment Court, is preparing for the upcoming trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, which is projected to last between seven and eight months.
To ensure lawmakers have enough time to handle crucial legislative matters, the Upper Chamber is exploring ways to streamline and shorten the judicial proceedings. This preparation comes amid an incredibly crowded legislative calendar.
Aside from the trial, the Senate is gearing up for intensive debates on the 2027 national budget, ongoing committee probes into flood control irregularities, and potential revisions to the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act.
“Actually, based on our estimates, the impeachment trial will run from 7 to 8 months. If we are going to start in July, we may be able to finish by February,” Senate President Win Gatchalian said in an radio interview.
“That’s why we are studying how we can expedite the impeachment trial because the Senate is not only occupied with the impeachment. We also have to tackle proposed laws. One of the most important this coming August would be the (national) budget. And we know the budget is one of the most difficult activity of the Senate.
“So we are really studying that and of course, we will consult the prosecution and defense on how we can shorten the process and if they can lower the number of witnesses,” he said.
A major hurdle for the timeline is the sheer volume of discovery material collected for the case.
“So we will consult this with the prosecution and defense. Because there were 10,000 pieces of evidences that were marked. So just imagine the time that would be spent if these 10,000 pieces would all be presented,” the Senate chief remarked.
According to Gatchalian, the majority of the Senate’s workload during the trial will involve analyzing these documents and evaluating witness statements.
Individual senators must carefully review every piece of information, while also remaining prepared for the potential emergence of new witnesses as the trial unfolds.
“So when the trial opens we will ask for a consultation with the defense and prosecution on how to expedite the process,” he said.
Despite the logistical constraints, Gatchalian confirmed that the Impeachment Court will officially begin the trial on July 6, following an established timeline for initial legal steps.
“But we will insist on finishing all the preliminaries. Tomorrow (Monday) we will issue the pre-trial order,” Gatchalian said.
“We will give both camps three days to file their comments. And then after that we will prepare for the impeachment this coming July 6,” he further said.