The Senate will resume its regular sessions today, Monday, June 2 and tackle priority legislative measures before the 19th Congress adjourns formally next week, June 14, 2025.

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero had earlier announced that the passage of key legislative bills will take precedence before the Senate convenes itself into an impeachment court for Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.

On Monday morning, Escudero is expected to hold a press briefing regarding the Senate’s remaining schedule and to answer queries regarding his decision to move the impeachment proceedings from June 2 to June 11, 2025. 

Earlier, Escudero explained that since Congress only has six session days left before the sine die adjournment, it is imperative for both the Senate and House of Representatives to prioritie the passage of all pending measures “consistent also with the administration’s thrust to align our government with the people’s needs and expectations.”

According to Escudero, several priority measures identified by the President during the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting last Thursday, May 29, 2025 were:

1.                  Amendments to the Foreign Investors’ Long-Term Lease Act;

2.                E-Governance Act;

3.                Open Access in Data Transmission (Konektadong Pinoy Act);

4.                Rationalization of the Fiscal Mining Regime;

5.                Amendments to the Universal Health Care Act;

6.                Virology Institute of the Philippines;

7.                Government Optimization Act;

8.                Amendments to the Right-of-Way Act;

9.                Setting the Term of Office of Barangay Officials and Members of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK)

10.             Judicial Fiscal Autonomy;

11.             Denatured Alcohol Tax; and

12.             Anti-POGO Act

Escudero had said he is confident that the impeachment trial of the vice president can cross over to the 20th Congress with a new set of senators taking over as senator-judges. 

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III also expressed the same sentiment noting that the Senate, under the Constitution, is mandated to fulfill its duty to convene as an impeachment court and to try impeachment cases that have been filed before it. 

But Pimentel said he will question Escudero’s decision to postpone the impeachment trial to next week saying senators were not consulted over the issue.

However, both Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada supported Escudero’s decision to prioritize the approval of the priority bills before tackling Duterte’s impeachment trial.

Estrada, in an interview last week, reminded colleagues that the Senate’s primary duty is to make laws.