PASAY CITY — The Senate will temporarily suspend proceedings in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte from November 23 to December 3 to prioritize plenary deliberations on the proposed ₱7.2-trillion national budget for 2027, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian announced Saturday.
In a radio interview with DWIZ, Gatchalian stated that lawmakers would dedicate full-time sessions to the budget during this 11-day period, working even on December 2, Pasay Day, to meet their target of completing plenary debates by December 4.
The GAB sponsorship was moved to November 23 to give Senate Senior Majority Leader JV Ejercito, who chairs the Committee on Finance, sufficient time to verify that infrastructure projects possess complete supporting documents.
“Mas mahigpit this year, in fact, compared to last year,” Gatchalian said.
The Senate is applying stricter scrutiny to the GAB, requiring infrastructure projects to comply with five documentary requirements from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Farm-to-market roads and National Irrigation Administration projects are also undergoing close evaluation following reviews with the Department of Agriculture and civil society organizations.
Initially identifying nearly ₱400 billion in potential red flags, the Senate removed duplicate entries and ultimately scrapped ₱8.8 billion worth of flagged projects from its version of the budget due to issues such as identical geographical coordinates.
Gatchalian noted that the House of Representatives has shown openness to removing undocumented projects, and added that the Senate plans to upload relevant budget documents online for public monitoring.
Despite potential deadlocks during the Bicameral Conference Committee, the Senate aims to ratify the 2027 budget before adjourning on December 17, though senators are prepared to work through the Christmas season if delays occur.
Meanwhile, Gatchalian expressed optimism that the impeachment trial of Vice President Duterte could also conclude before Christmas, noting that the defense recently reduced its witness list by canceling subpoenas for more than a dozen individuals out of an initial 24.
While disappointed that the defense dropped bank officials who could have addressed key financial allegations, Gatchalian emphasized that the Senate impeachment court does not plan to call additional witnesses on its own.
“Mas maganda kung magaling sa prosecution and defense para klaro yung kanilang posisyon in the case. Dahil ang korte ay passive dapat nasa gitna lang kami,” Gatchalian said.
He also defended the competency of senator-judges, noting that their targeted questions serve a vital purpose in understanding the proceedings.
Highlighting the importance of the 2027 budget amid a slowing economy, Gatchalian underscored that the measure must remain free from corruption to effectively pump-prime growth and restore public and investor confidence.