The Senate sitting as an impeachment court will transition to an accelerated full-day calendar beginning Oct. 1, carving out 11 marathon hearing dates to review evidence against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Under the intensified schedule, the court will hold full-day proceedings on Oct. 1 and 2, Oct. 5 to 9, and Oct. 12 to 15. The calendar adjustment aims to maximize trial progress prior to an extended recess dedicated to examining the national budget.
Senate President Francis Escudero, serving as presiding officer, confirmed that proceedings will temporarily yield to committee work on the spending bill following the two-week block.
”Trial shall be suspended to give way for the budget deliberations and hearings in preparation of the Senate version of the budget,” Escudero said.
No trial sessions are slated between Oct. 16 and Nov. 8 while the Senate Committee on Finance conducts its budget inquiries. With plenary debates on the General Appropriations Act scheduled to follow starting Nov. 9, Escudero noted that trial activities could remain paused until mid-November.
”We are still trying to squeeze in a trial date in those two weeks, at least one, but I’m not sure yet. So, most likely, the trial will be suspended until Nov. 18,” Escudero explained.
The revised timeline replaces earlier partial-day arrangements as lawmakers balance constitutional responsibilities over the trial alongside evaluation of the proposed annual national budget. Regular impeachment sessions are expected to resume as early as Nov. 19 or 20, contingent on budget progress.