The Senate impeachment court has canceled the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte scheduled for Wednesday, September 30.
In an advisory signed by Clerk of Court Atty. Renato Bantug Jr., the court said the trial scheduled for September 30 was canceled and would continue on October 1.
Impeachment Court spokesperson Atty. Reginald Tongol described the one-day cancellation as a “strategic procedural pause” to give both the prosecution and defense panels time to prepare for the whole-day trial sessions scheduled from October 1 to 15.
“Tomorrow is a deliberate Strategic Procedural Pause designed to clear the floor so both panels can prepare for the grueling, whole-day (10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.) marathon sessions running continuously from October 1 to 15,” Tongol said.
Tongol stressed that the pause was not due to a delay in the proceedings, saying the court is instead “aggressively ahead of schedule.”
“Since opening Article II on September 14, the proceedings have advanced at a rigorous pace, with the prosecution already presenting six witnesses in an eight-day span,” he said.
He added that the upcoming proceedings will involve “highly technical, voluminous financial records,” including documents from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).
The Impeachment Court has scheduled whole-day trial sessions on October 1 and 2, October 5 to 9, and October 12 to 15.
The sessions are set to run from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. each day.
