The House prosecution panel has backed a proposal to change the evidence sequence in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, though the Senate impeachment court is still awaiting the defense’s official position.
Senate impeachment court spokesperson Atty. Regie Tongol stated that the prosecution formally agreed to an article-by-article presentation, where both sides present evidence sequentially for one charge before moving to the next.
”They are agreeing to the alternating presentation of the prosecution and the defense on an article-per-article basis,” Tongol said during a online interview.
This approach departs from the original schedule, which required the prosecution to present all evidence across all four impeachment articles before the defense could begin.
Tongol noted that Duterte’s legal team has not yet filed its formal stance. Should the defense consent, Senate President and presiding officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero may issue an order sanctioning the new schedule, which could lead to the cancellation of the next scheduled hearing on Article 1.
Under the revised framework, the defense would present its case on Article 4—involving allegations of an assassination plot, grave threats, and inciting to sedition—immediately after the prosecution finishes its evidence on that specific charge.
”We still don’t know if the presiding officer will cancel tomorrow’s hearing if they agree today,” Tongol said.
Tongol emphasized that impeachment proceedings are sui generis—a unique legal mechanism distinct from standard court trials—because they involve multiple distinct charges. He explained that alternating evidence per article fosters efficiency and fairness, allowing senator-judges to evaluate the full scope of each allegation in real time.
According to Tongol, the adjustment will not drastically affect the trial’s overall timeline. While Article 1 alone is projected to take 31 trial days, the entire proceeding remains estimated at roughly 90 trial days since the total allotted time for each side stays the same.
He added that the proposed order will not accelerate the final verdict, as Senate rules require the presentation of evidence on all four articles to wrap up completely before senator-judges deliberate and vote on conviction or acquittal.