The Senate leadership has denied Vice President Sara Duterte's request for the Senate to shoulder the catering expenses for her legal team during the ongoing impeachment trial, citing budget constraints.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said the request could not be accommodated because the Senate is already facing significant expenses related to the impeachment proceedings.

Gatchalian explained that several Senate committee rooms are currently being used for the trial, forcing the chamber to rent additional venues at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) to hold budget deliberations and committee hearings.

He said the Senate must prioritize its available funds for these essential operations.

"Decision na 'yan ng management ng Senado kung papayagan o hindi. But it's a basic issue of budget," Gatchalian said.

"Dahil nga hindi kaya ng budget, dahil meron tayong ibang gastusin, we have to prioritize of course 'yung budget hearings at committee hearings," he added.

Earlier, Senator Erwin Tulfo also disclosed that the majority of senators opposed the request, saying there is no available funding for the catering expenses and that approving such a request would be difficult to justify before the Commission on Audit (COA).

The Senate leadership maintained that its limited budget must be allocated to operational requirements necessary to ensure the continuation of the impeachment trial and other legislative functions.