The Senate leadership has rejected Vice President Sara Duterte’s appeal for the upper chamber to cover the catering costs of her legal defense team during her ongoing impeachment trial, pointing to severe budget constraints.
Senate President Win Gatchalian stated that the chamber cannot fulfill the request due to the significant operational expenses already incurred by the impeachment proceedings.
He noted that with several Senate committee rooms repurposed for the trial, the chamber is being forced to rent external spaces at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) to host essential budget deliberations and committee hearings.
Gatchalian emphasized that the Senate must prioritize its remaining resources to maintain its core legislative duties.
”Decision na ‘yan ng management ng Senado kung papayagan o hindi. But it’s a basic issue of budget,” Gatchalian said.
”Dahil nga hindi kaya ng budget, dahil meron tayong ibang gastusin, we have to prioritize of course ‘yung budget hearings at committee hearings,” he added.
Additionally, Senator Erwin Tulfo revealed that most senators opposed granting the request. Tulfo cited the absence of dedicated funding and highlighted the difficulty of defending such an expenditure before the Commission on Audit (COA).
The Senate leadership reiterated that its constrained budget must be strictly dedicated to necessary operational requirements to support both the ongoing trial and broader legislative functions.