Senate impeachment court approves 92 trial days

MANILA, Philippines, July 2 ------ The Senate impeachment court has approved a 92-day trial for Vice President Sara Duterte commencing on July 6.

The approved trial period – contained in the 14-page Pre-Trial Order signed by Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian on June 29 – is much shorter than the previous estimate of seven to eight months. Based on the order, a copy of which was obtained by The STAR, 62 trial dates have been set for House prosecutors and 30 for the Vice President’s defense team.

The trial convenes at 2 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays until July 28 – a day after President Marcos delivers his fifth State of the Nation Address – with a slightly revised schedule: 3 p.m. during Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. In total, the prosecution has 57 witnesses, while the defense has 45. The witnesses will testify under a strict One-Day Examination Rule, meaning their testimonies must be completed on their scheduled date unless the court grants an extension for good cause.

The impeachment court also approved a four-stage timeline requested by the prosecution panel led by Rep. Gerville Luistro. The issue on grave threats and assassination plot made by Duterte during a press conference will have 11 trial dates, while the one on the misuse of confidential funds will have 31 trial dates. DepEd corruption will cover eight trial dates and unexplained wealth, 12 trial dates. Senators from the minority bloc led by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, meanwhile, are again appealing to the Supreme Court (SC) to invalidate the Senate plenary session last June 3 that saw his ouster as Senate president.

Source: philstar.com