Metro Manila, Philippines – Holding the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursdays, Fridays, or Saturdays is on the table to make up for delays from bad weather and lengthy examination of witnesses, Impeachment Court spokesperson Reginald Tongol said.
“Kung magkakaroon ba ng session ng Thursday or Friday or Saturday, of course, that is always under consideration and advisement,” Tongol said in an online media briefing on Wednesday, Aug. 19.
[Translation: Whether we will have sessions on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, of course, that is always under consideration and advisement.]
It was the second consecutive day that the trial was canceled due to heavy rains and flooding.
Tongol said Senate President Win Gatchalian and Presiding Officer Chiz Escudero may either opt to add “make-up days” or continue with the schedule for now and make adjustments later as needed.
“Kasi baka naman hindi natin kailangan magdagdag for all we know dahil baka maglaglag din ng mga ilang witnesses yung mga parties [Because, for all we know, we may not need to add more days because the parties might also drop some of their witnesses]. So let’s just wait and see for the meantime,” he said.
Under the pre-trial order, 31 days were initially allotted for Article I, or the alleged misuse of confidential funds, with 27 witnesses lined up under a one-witness-per-day rule. However, some witnesses have taken as many as three days for their direct and cross-examination, as well as questioning by the senator-judges.
“So medyo, in a way, delayed na tayo ngayon. However, don’t worry about it because yung Impeachment Court naman, sanay naman ng mga, lalo pa kami mga abogado, sanay kami na uurong talaga yung mga dates na yan,” Tongol said.
[Translation: So, in a way, we are already delayed now. However, don’t worry about it because the impeachment court is used to this, especially those of us who are lawyers. We are used to these dates being pushed back.]
Tongol said another option is to extend trial hours, similar to when proceedings were extended beyond the usual schedule to finish the senator-judge questioning of state auditor Xylene Mae del Campo.
Another option is to move the trial to the afternoon from the current 10 a.m. schedule, as proposed by Senate Majority Leader Migz Zubiri. This would give leeway instead of the limited 10 a.m.-3 p.m. hearing, with the Senate session beginning at 4 p.m.
Tongol said senators have yet to reach a consensus.
“It’s a balancing act on the part of the Senate president and the presiding officer. Initially, when they wanted to put the trial sa umaga, ang isipan naman nila kasi para yung plenary session at saka yung mga committee sessions, mangyari sa hapon up to sawa para hanggang 10 pm sila, etcetera, dahil kailangan nila humabol naman doon sa legislative agenda nila,” Tongol said.
”So ngayon, because of the situation, also some senators are saying na baka mas magandang sa hapon, mas mabaligtad para yung trial naman yung up to sawa,” he added.
[Translation: It’s a balancing act on the part of the Senate president and the presiding officer. Initially, when they wanted to hold the trial in the morning, their thinking was that the plenary session and committee sessions could take place in the afternoon and continue until late, even up to 10 p.m., because they also need to catch up on their legislative agenda. So now, because of the situation, some senators are also saying that it might be better to hold the trial in the afternoon and reverse the arrangement so that the trial can continue until late.]
The House prosecution panel is aiming to wrap up the trial, which began on July 6, within the year, with a decision on whether to convict or acquit the vice president targeted before Christmas. Prosecutors said they may choose to drop some witnesses along the way or forgo an article, such as the alleged bribery, to expedite the trial.
