Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Saturday disputed the December 16 target for the final verdict in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, saying it was merely the opinion of the impeachment court spokesperson and had yet to be decided by the tribunal.
Pangilinan made the clarification after impeachment court spokesperson Reginald Tongol said the tribunal could reach a verdict by December 16.
“The Impeachment Court has yet to formally or informally discuss this and has yet to decide on the timetable/timeline of the trial moreso a verdict date of December 16,” Pangilinan said in a statement posted online Saturday.
“This verdict date is merely the opinion of the spokesperson. As Senator Judge, I do not share the opinion of the spokesperson. He has no authority to issue his personal opinions on the Court’s behalf,” Pangilinan said.
Tongol said Friday that the impeachment court was increasingly confident it could finish the trial before the Senate’s holiday recess, with December 16 as a target for the final verdict.
He said the proceedings were ahead of the original schedule after the House prosecution panel dropped several witnesses from its initial lineup.
According to Tongol, the prosecution could finish presenting its evidence for Article II, which involves allegations of unexplained wealth, by next week. The prosecution has also been allotted 30 days for the defense’s presentation once the prosecution rests.
The impeachment court recently suspended a trial day on September 30 for what Tongol described as a “strategic procedural pause” to allow both sides to prepare for whole-day hearings involving technical and voluminous financial records. The trial resumed on October 1.
