The Senate impeachment court is prepared to stretch its daily schedule to stay on track without sacrificing the thoroughness of the evidence, court spokesperson Atty. Regie Tongol announced during a press briefing on Friday.
When proceedings resume on Monday, July 13, the court expects longer working hours as legal teams head into intensive witness interrogations.
While efficiency is a goal, Tongol made it clear that uncovering the truth takes precedence over rushing the process.
“We will all endeavor to finish everything on schedule. However, there might be circumstances that will lead to have the day extended or even continued the next day,” he noted.
“Kasi ang mas mananaig talaga dito sa ating mga kababayan is lumabas talaga yung katotohanan at fully mailabas yung ebidensyang dapat ilabas.”
Time-and-motion assessments from the initial days of the trial indicate that future sessions will likely push deep into the evening.
“Based on the time and motion studies that we did last three days of the impeachment trial, siguro mga 7 p.m. tayo matatapos sa mga ganyan. 7 to 8, swerte na tayong mga 6 o’clock,” Tongol added.
To optimize time, the court plans to urge both the prosecution and defense panels to agree on undisputed facts. However, the upcoming weekly itinerary remains highly demanding.
NBI Regional Director Jeremy Lotok is scheduled to testify for the prosecution on Monday, followed by the Vice President’s chief-of-staff, Atty. Zuleika Lopez, on Tuesday, July 14. House Legislative Security Bureau Executive Director Belinda Bello is slated to take the stand on Wednesday, July 15.
Midweek proceedings will also feature oral arguments regarding contested subpoenas for confidential banking, BIR, and AMLC financial records. Both legal teams will receive ten minutes for primary arguments and three minutes for rebuttals to address defense concerns regarding tax privacy laws.
Addressing criticisms that the trial has grown bogged down in technicalities, Tongol maintained that adhering to due process and standard evidentiary rules is non-negotiable.
“Medyo it’s a hard balancing act pero siguro ang gagawa lang talaga ng Korte moving forward is to exert more effort into try to ask the parties to stipulate on matters na medyo wala namang ganong contention yung both parties,” Tongol concluded.