By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA, Philippines — The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte said it is prepared to follow whatever changes the Senate impeachment court may impose on the schedule of her ongoing trial, as senators move to accelerate the proceedings.
Atty. Michael Poa, lead spokesperson and defense counsel for Duterte, said Saturday that the defense would defer to the impeachment court on the timing of the hearings.
“The Defense will comply with whatever schedule the Impeachment Court may decide upon,” Poa said.
“We are prepared to proceed in accordance with the Court’s directives,” he added.
The statement came after the House prosecution team backed proposals to move the trial to the afternoon and possibly hold hearings on Fridays in an effort to shorten the proceedings.
Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, a member of the prosecution panel, said the House prosecutors had no objection to moving the hearings to a later hour.
“Wala ho tayong pagtutol sa pagpapa-late ng oras… Ang nais natin dito is pabilisan ang paglilitis at tapusin na sa pinakamaagang panahon at araw,” Ridon said.
(We have no objection to moving the trial to a later hour. What we want is to hasten the trial and finish it at the soonest possible time and day.)
The impeachment court has been conducting the proceedings from 10 a.m. until around 2 p.m. or 2:30 p.m., allowing senators to resume their regular plenary sessions at 3 p.m.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri earlier proposed reversing the arrangement by holding legislative sessions in the morning and opening the impeachment trial at 3 p.m., a move intended to prevent the Senate’s legislative calendar from interfering with the proceedings.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said Friday that senator-judges had reached a consensus to move the trial to the afternoon.
The proposed changes come as the impeachment court seeks to recover time lost to several cancellations caused by inclement weather, flooding, tropical cyclones and the southwest monsoon, or Habagat.
The next hearing, barring further changes, will mark the 17th day of Duterte’s impeachment trial.
Under the Pre-Trial Order issued by Gatchalian, the proceedings were originally allotted 92 trial days—62 days for the prosecution and 30 days for the defense.
With both sides now preparing for possible adjustments to the schedule, the focus has shifted toward completing the trial without further unnecessary interruptions while ensuring that the impeachment court’s directives are followed.
For the Duterte defense, Poa’s message was clear: whatever schedule the senator-judges ultimately approve, the defense is ready to appear and proceed.
ia/xf
