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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Will another Senate leadership change affect case vs VP Duterte? Adiong says no

Will another Senate leadership change affect case vs VP Duterte? Adiong says no

Published May 23, 2026 03:36 pm

At A Glance

  • Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said the possible change in Senate leadership, including rumors of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian becoming Senate President, will not affect the prosecution's case in Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial.
  • He says the House panel's evidence—documents, testimonies, and records—remains strong regardless of who presides over the Senate impeachment court.
  • Adiong noted that upcoming pre-trial proceedings will clarify how both sides present witnesses and evidence, while the trial itself addresses allegations of fund misuse, false asset declarations, unexplained wealth, and threats against top officials.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)


The potential installation of a new Senate President--be it Senator Sherwin Gatchalian or somebody else--will not affect the strength of the prosecution's case in the Senate impeachment trial of respondent Vice President Sara Duterte.
Thus, said Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, House prosecution panel spokesperson, on May 23 during the Saturday News Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City.
"I think in terms of the decision, collective decision, whether the senators will be changing the leadership, that is entirely up to the decision of the individual senators," Adiong said in response to rumors of another coup d'etat in the upper chamber.
It should be noted that the 24 senators will serve as the "judges" of the impeachment trial against the second highest official of the land.
For Adiong, the identity of the Senate President--who automatically becomes the presiding officer of the impeachment court--shouldn't matter.
“So ang pinanindigan namin (So our stand is), whoever becomes the Senate President or whatever is the composition of the Senate in terms of key positions in the Senate, will not affect the soundness and the volume of evidence that the House prosecution team will be presenting to the impeachment court,” Adiong said.
He added that the 11-strong prosecution panel’s presentation would continue to rely on documentary evidence, testimonies and records already gathered during House proceedings.
“It would still be consistent with the testimonies and the documents that we have gathered,” said the Mindanaoan.
Adiong also noted that the upcoming pre-trial proceedings would provide a clearer picture of how both camps intend to present their evidence and witnesses before the Senate impeachment court.
“In the pre-trial, I believe, the pre-trial setting down the ground rules for the impeachment court to proceed. Part of that is actually identification of the potential witnesses and markings of evidences,” Adiong added.
The current Senate President, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, was installed only last May 11. He holds a very thin majority of only 13 out of 24 senators, meaning the detection of even one senator to the minority could lead to another upheaval in plenary.
The 11-member minority bloc in the Senate is reportedly pushing for Senator Sherwin Gatchalian to become Senate President.
Vice President Duterte's conviction via impeachment trial is being sought over her offices' alleged misuse of P612.5 million worth of confidential funds; untruthful declarations in the filing of her statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth; unexplained wealth; and death threats to President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez.

Related Tags

Senate coup d\'etat Sherwin Gatchalian Alan Peter Cayetano Zia Alonto Adiong Impeachment Sara Duterte
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