The Senate is finalizing a new schedule for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, with the chamber eyeing the release of the revised timetable this week, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said Tuesday.
Gatchalian said the Senate is considering reversing the schedule for legislative sessions and impeachment proceedings to allow lawmakers to continue their legislative work while accommodating the trial.
“Fina-finalize namin this week yan dahil dapat bigyan din ng abiso yung prosecution, defense at iba pang mga parties para makahanda rin sila,” Gatchalian said in an interview with DZRH’s Dos Por Dos.
Under the proposed schedule, legislative activities would begin at 10 a.m., followed by the impeachment proceedings at 3 p.m.
Gatchalian said the Senate is also considering removing the usual break during legislative sessions by allowing the Senate president and Senate president pro tempore to alternate in presiding over the chamber.
This would give senators at least five hours for legislative work before proceeding with the impeachment trial, he said.
Committee hearings would be moved to Thursdays and Fridays, with budget deliberations set to begin Thursday. Gatchalian said the Senate may also hold sessions on Saturdays if necessary to keep up with its legislative calendar.
He said the Senate's schedule has become tight because the impeachment proceedings are taking up three days each week.
The chamber is also looking at holding some committee hearings at the Philippine International Convention Center because the Senate's committee rooms have been allocated to the prosecution, defense and members of the media covering the impeachment trial.
Gatchalian said the arrangement is intended to prevent committee hearings and other legislative work from being delayed.
“Maraming mga batas na target namin hopefully before the end of the year may mga ibang batas na dapat matapos na,” he said.
The Senate is also considering holding the impeachment proceedings in the afternoon partly to make them more accessible to the public, Gatchalian said.
He said the trial could run until 7 or 8 p.m. when necessary, noting that it takes an average of about six hours to complete the testimony of a single witness.
Gatchalian said moving the proceedings to the afternoon would provide greater flexibility in managing the lengthy trial while giving the public more opportunity to watch the proceedings.
