The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte is expected to begin on July 6, according to a legislator, following a caucus among senators on Wednesday.
In separate radio interviews on Thursday, Senator Erwin Tulfo said the schedule was discussed after Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano called an all-member caucus shortly after the Senate adjourned its plenary session.
“Nagbigay po ng schedule kahapon, nagpatawag po ng caucus po of all members si SP Cayetano at July 6 po ang umpisa nung ‘wika nga, impeachment trial,” he said.
The lawmaker said that while Congress is on sine die adjournment from June 5 to July 26, the Senate is expected to hold plenary sessions on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 10 am to 1 pm. The impeachment trial will then proceed from 2 pm onward.
Under the tentative arrangement, Thursdays will be reserved for pleadings, while no trial will be held on Fridays.
Once regular sessions resume after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27, the solon said the Senate is expected to hold plenary sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays, while Tuesdays and Thursdays will be devoted to the impeachment trial starting at 3 pm.
“Post SONA, ayun na po, talagang paspasan na po yun. We will have to dedicate time para sa trial. I think three days for the trial and then one day ang session and committee hearings,” Tulfo said.
He added that Fridays may still be used for committee hearings if needed, effectively expanding the Senate’s work schedule to cover trials, hearings, and plenary sessions throughout the week.
Cayetano’s office, however, has yet to issue the official schedule for committee hearings, plenary sessions, and the impeachment trial.
He also said he opposed the proposal of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta to allow senators to attend and participate in plenary sessions remotely through teleconference, video conference, or other electronic means.
Marcoleta proposed the amendment after Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who had gone into hiding since November last year, appeared at the Senate plenary on May 11 to vote for Cayetano as Senate president.
Tulfo said several members of the minority bloc believe senators should be physically present during sessions, noting that remote participation was justified during the pandemic but should no longer be the norm.
“Marami po sa amin sa minorya ay hindi po sang-ayon dyan. Kailangan po physically present. Dati po pwede yun nung pandemic… Eh ngayon po everything’s okay naman po. Kailangan po siguro ang presence sa Senado,” he said.