Senate President Win Gatchalian indicated on Sunday his open consideration to move the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte to afternoon sessions as the chamber prepares to manage hearings for the proposed 2027 national budget.
Speaking in a radio broadcast, Gatchalian highlighted that the proposed shift balances the Senate personnel’s workload while maintaining an efficient timeline to conclude the trial.
“I’m open to holding the impeachment trial in the afternoon,” Gatchalian said.
“We’re still assessing the best arrangement to give more time to the impeachment trial so it can be concluded promptly,” Gatchalian added.
Operating as an impeachment court, the Senate is reviewing Article 1 of the charges against Duterte, focused on claims of impeachable offenses.
The central charge involves the alleged systematic misuse and improper liquidation of confidential funds amounting to ₱500 million for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and ₱112.5 million for the Department of Education (DepEd) during her leadership as education secretary.
In recent proceedings on Wednesday, state auditor Xylene del Campo testified that executing confidential operations falls outside the mandated functions of both the OVP and the Department of Education.
Del Campo noted that social programs, tree-planting initiatives, and Christmas events conducted by the OVP prior to receiving its secret funds on December 21, 2022, cannot serve as valid grounds for liquidation.
She further cited Joint Circular 2015-01, explaining that regulations governing confidential and intelligence funds explicitly prohibit using these allocations for reimbursement.