The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio will likely move to afternoon sessions starting in September, according to Senator-Judge Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson.
Speaking in a radio interview on Saturday, Lacson explained that members of the Senate majority bloc favor holding regular legislative sessions in the morning and shifting the trial to the afternoon, potentially running into the evening.
“At least in the majority group, this is the dominating sentiment. We will hold legislative sessions in the morning so the impeachment trial would not be cut short. It is a more practical setup,” Lacson said. “To me, this is more practical. And my colleagues in the majority bloc share this sentiment.”
Under the proposed arrangement, regular Senate legislative work would take place Mondays through Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., while the impeachment trial would convene at 2:30 p.m. and run until at least 7:30 p.m.
Lacson noted that proceedings would not face a strict cutoff at 7:30 p.m., indicating trial sessions could extend to 10:00 p.m. or 11:00 p.m. if necessary.
The proposed timeline will be formalized during a senators’ caucus next week, where members of the minority bloc will also be consulted.
If lawmakers reach an agreement, the official announcement is expected on Wednesday, Aug. 26. Schedules for the following week are traditionally announced on Wednesdays to give both prosecution and defense teams sufficient time to prepare.
“If there are pressing matters on the legislative side, we can flip the schedule again if needed,” Lacson noted. “Definitely next week, the impeachment trial will still be in the morning. If it will be moved to the afternoon the week after, it will be announced by the Presiding Officer on Wednesday.”
Lacson added that he does not expect the trial to conclude by December. The prosecution has yet to finish presenting its second article of impeachment out of four, after which the defense team will present its case.