The Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte is set to begin on July 6, with senator-judges expected to physically attend the proceedings as House prosecutors intensify preparations for the case.
Senator Erwin Tulfo said Thursday that Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano called a caucus Wednesday night where he revealed the date and senators discussed the schedule for the impeachment proceedings.
“The schedule was given yesterday. Senate President Cayetano called a caucus of all members, and the impeachment trial will begin on July 6,” Tulfo said in Filipino during an interview on Unang Balita.
Tulfo said the Senate would hold regular sessions on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by impeachment proceedings from 2 p.m. onward. Hearings on Tuesdays and Wednesdays are scheduled from 3 p.m. until evening, while Thursdays will be reserved for regular sessions.
He said the trial is expected to run three days a week, with Fridays generally designated as break days, although Senate committees may still conduct hearings.
The charges against Duterte include alleged betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, culpable violation of the Constitution, and other high crimes.
Tulfo also rejected a proposal by Senator Rodante Marcoleta to allow Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who has gone into hiding anew, to participate and vote remotely during the impeachment proceedings despite his physical absence.
“Many of us in the minority will not agree to that. We need to be physically present,” Tulfo said. “That was allowed during the pandemic because there were lockdowns and restrictions. Now everything is okay, so presence in the Senate is probably needed.”
House Committee on Justice chair and lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville Luistro also opposed proposals allowing senator-judges to participate or vote remotely, saying the gravity of the proceedings requires personal attendance.
“My humble submission about this issue is that the senator-judge should personally witness the trial, and he should also personally vote because this process is very important,” Luistro said during an interview on dzME.
“With all due respect to Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, we respect him and he is a former colleague in the House of Representatives. However, we need to consider the significance, the importance, the paramount importance of this impeachment process,” she added.
Luistro stressed that senator-judges must personally observe witnesses, documents and video evidence presented before the impeachment court.
“It is very important that the senator-judge personally sees each witness… every paper and video that is presented in support of the Articles of Impeachment,” she said, adding that a witness’ demeanor is critical in determining credibility during trial proceedings.
“The demeanor tells you whether the witness is telling the truth or not,” Luistro said.
The 11-member House prosecution panel has been preparing for the trial following the lower chamber’s vote to impeach Duterte and transmit the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate.
Luistro compared the preparation process to reviewing for the Bar examinations.
“We just laugh at what is happening to us because apparently we are really like law students who have returned to the Bar review,” she said.
The prosecution team includes Reps. Terry Ridon, Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez, Ysabel Maria Zamora, Lorenz Defensor, Jose Manuel Diokno, Leila de Lima, Kaka Bag-ao, Jonathan Keith Flores, Lordan Suan and Joel Chua.
Luistro said prosecutors are finalizing witnesses, documentary and video evidence, and presentation strategies for each article of impeachment.
“We are finalizing of course the list of our witnesses per article. We are finalizing the list of documents to be presented per article,” she said.
“When we say documents, it does not pertain to paper only, it includes even videos and we are also finalizing the nature of the direct examination that we should do in order to establish our case per witness per article.”
She said the panel is also reviewing rules on evidence and courtroom procedures ahead of the Senate trial, while emphasizing that impeachment proceedings are intended to be liberal rather than purely technical legal exercises.
“This was purposely done liberal because of the importance of the subject matter of the impeachment proceedings,” Luistro said. “We are trying to test the fitness of the highest official of the land.”
House trial spokesperson Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said the prosecution panel remained fully prepared despite not yet receiving formal notice from the impeachment court regarding the schedule.
“Nevertheless, the 11-member prosecution panel remains fully prepared and stands ready to proceed on whatever schedule the Honorable Court may determine,” he added.
Adiong said the proceedings should not be viewed through regional or political divisions, noting that 257 House members from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao voted in favor of impeachment.
“This case must be decided on evidence — not on slogans, political pressure, or social media narratives,” he said. “July 6 is not the start of persecution. It is the start of due process.”
House trial spokesperson Rep. Renee Co said younger Filipinos are closely watching the proceedings and their implications for democratic institutions.
“The next generation will inherit the consequences of this trial,” said Co of Kabataan Party-list.
“This is bigger than personalities and political camps. For many young Filipinos, this is about the kind of political culture we normalize, tolerate, and pass on to future generations,” she added.
Co said many young people are “fed up with endless political drama, scripted outrage, and noise without clear accountability.”
“They want the government to grow up. They want leaders who take institutions, public trust, and accountability seriously,” she said.
The prosecution panel intends to approach the proceedings professionally and allow the evidence to speak for itself, she added.
“Our role is not to create noise or political theater. Our role is to help present the facts and allow the evidence to speak for itself,” Co said.
“Government is not fandom. Public service is not content creation. What is at stake here is the future of the next generation’s trust in our democracy.”
The Senate formally convened as an impeachment court on Monday after receiving the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte from the House of Representatives.
The articles were transmitted to the Senate on May 13 amid tensions over the reported possible arrest of Senator dela Rosa.
The impeachment court later issued a writ of summons directing Duterte to respond within 10 days upon receipt and to appear before the court when notified.
In a statement issued Monday, Duterte defense spokesperson Atty. Michael Poa said the Vice President’s camp would comply with the process.
“We note that the Senate has convened as an Impeachment Court and that summons will be issued in due course,” Poa said.
“We will comply and file the appropriate response in accordance with the Constitution and applicable rules,” he added.
Poa said the defense team would refrain from further comment “out of respect for the process.”
