Despite Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III's intention to convene the impeachment court at once, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson said on Saturday, May 2, that the trial proper for respondent Vice President Sara Duterte may not begin until June.

Lacson said that it would take at least three weeks for procedures such as the issuance of summons and reply, and a preliminary conference for purposes of stipulations and possible marking of evidence to be completed and pave the way for the start of the trial.

"Once the Articles of Impeachment are transmitted to us, if we follow the processes, we're talking of at least three weeks before the actual trial starts," he said in a mix of English and Filipino in an interview on DZMM radio.

He said the preliminary conference or "pre-trial" may involve the Senate President or his legal adviser defining what issues may be taken up during the trial.

Lacson recalled that the impeachment trial of the late former Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Renato Corona was marked by confusion due to the absence of an early pre-trial process, which led to the introduction of “surprise” witnesses midway through proceedings.

"I recall that during the trial of Corona, there was no preliminary conference, so there was some confusion during the trial because 'surprise' witnesses were introduced. So it is better to have a preliminary conference where the prosecution and defense agree on which issues would be tackled and which would not before the trial," he said.

On the possibility of a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the SC, Lacson said the impeachment court will meet to discuss, and if necessary, vote on what action to take.

"I believe that so long as the Supreme Court does not issue a TRO, the trial will continue. But if it compels us, we will discuss the matter. The impeachment court is a constitutional body and the Supreme Court has said it respects not only the Senate but the impeachment court as co-equal. The impeachment court's decision cannot be appealed even before the Supreme Court. It is final," he said.

"I am not saying that it is an option to ignore the TRO. But we must discuss and vote on it. We will always make decisions based on the majority," he added.

On the preparations for the possible impeachment trial, Lacson said the senators held a meeting last Thursday to discuss the matter.

He said those who attended were reminded to "act like judges" and not appear partial to the prosecution or defense. Lacson said Sen. Robinhood Padilla, a member of the minority bloc, attended the meeting and was asked to relay this to his minority bloc colleagues.

"We must listen to the questions during direct and cross-examination, and base our decisions on the evidence," he said.

Lacson also said that while he was preparing for the possible trial by taking crash courses, he will also rely on his experience as a senator-judge in the trial of Corona, and as a witness during his law enforcement days.

"I joked that I do have experience in court not as a lawyer but as a witness. When I was a law enforcer, I took the stand as a witness or arresting officer - or even an accused," he said in jest.

Lacson also said some P27 million may be available for the impeachment trial, as only P512,000 of the P27.544 million allocated in the 2025 budget for last year's impeachment complaint was spent for 60 senator-judges' robes as well as IDs and other items.

"The amount is under the continuing appropriations in the 2025 budget. It may be used this year. If not, the amount will be treated as savings and returned to the treasury," he said.