The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte will become a whole day event starting Thursday as the Senate impeachment court expedites the proceedings and gives itself time to for legislative functions.
The schedule adjustment comes as the trial of the vice president coincides with the Congress’ deliberations and debates for the 2027 national budget, typically spanning from October to November.
Starting Thursday, the impeachment trial will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Monday to Friday until Oct. 15 – after which the court will temporarily suspend the proceedings in lieu of budget talks.
As the court continues to tackle Duterte’s alleged hidden wealth, the House prosecution is anticipated to present their seventh, eight and ninth witnesses: former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Executive Director Atty. Ronel Buenaventura, and Davao Register of Deeds Atty. Kathy Florence Baldonado or her deputy counterpart Atty. Marco Pineda.
Trillanes previously presented alleged bank records of Duterte and members of her family that do not appear in her statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth during the House justice committee’s hearings on Duterte’s impeachment complaints.
He alleged that the vice president received P22.3 million in checks supposedly tied from alleged drug lord Samuel Uy.
Notably, Trillanes is a staunch critic of the former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, father of the vice president.
He was among the parties that filed complaints of supposed crimes against humanity against Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court in the Hague, the Netherlands where the latter is now detained.
Meanwhile, Buenaventura is anticipated to testify on the AMLC records of the vice president.
He also previously appeared before the House justice panel where he submitted documents in relation to Duterte’s transactions worth P6.7 billion, of which P4.4 billion are supposedly inflows.
The property registrars, Baldonado and Pineda, are expected to verify the deeds and properties of Duterte’s husband, Atty. Manases Carpio, in Matina and Samal