Senator Panfilo Lacson said on Saturday, Aug 22 that the Senate would likely move the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte to the afternoon in a bid to avoid cutting the proceedings short.

In a DWIZ interview, Lacson said the proposal had been discussed in the majority bloc’s group chat, with most senators expressing support for moving the trial from the morning to the afternoon.

“Yes, sa aming chat group na-discuss yan, parang majority sa amin. At least sa majority group....'Yan yung parang nagdo-dominate na sentimyento, na opinyon, na gawin natin umaga yung session para sa ganun hindi nakaka-cut short yung impeachment trial (Yes, we discussed that in our chat group, and it seems that the majority of us, at least in the majority group, are in favor of it. That appears to be the prevailing sentiment and opinion—that we hold the regular session in the morning so that the impeachment trial will not be cut short),” Lacson said.

Under the proposed schedule, the Senate would hold its regular plenary session from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by the impeachment trial from 2:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

But Lacson said senators would no longer be under pressure to end the trial at 7:30 p.m. This will allow proceedings to continue until 10 p.m. or even 11 p.m. if necessary.

He explains that keeping the start of the trial in the morning forces the Senate to adjourn at around 2:30 p.m. because of its regular session at 3 p.m., potentially interrupting direct or cross-examination in the middle of proceedings.

“So mas practical na ilipat namin yung session sa umaga at yung impeachment trial sa hapon (So it would be more practical for us to move the regular session to the morning and hold the impeachment trial in the afternoon),” Lacson said.

Lacson said the proposal still needs to be formalized during a Senate caucus, with the minority bloc expected to be consulted before a final decision is made.

“I think it's almost a certainty. I-foformalize na lang yan pagka nagkasundo kami sa caucus,” he said, adding that the majority would ultimately determine the schedule but would consult the minority “out of respect".

According to Lacson, the schedule would remain flexible depending on the Senate’s legislative priorities. Any change in the trial schedule would be announced every Wednesday to give the prosecution and defense sufficient time to adjust their witness schedules.

“Hindi naman pag sinabing nag-decide kami na hapon, hapon na yun forever,” Lacson said.

He said the Senate could return the trial to the morning if pressing legislative matters require changes to the schedule in the succeeding months.

Lacson confirmed that the impeachment trial would remain on its morning schedule on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week. If senators decide to shift proceedings to the afternoon, the presiding officer would announce the change on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Lacson said he does not expect the impeachment trial to be completed by December, pointing out that the proceedings are still only on the second article of the impeachment complaint and the prosecution has yet to finish presenting its case.

“Sa tingin ko, hindi yung matatapos ng Disyembre. Kasi remember, nasa pangalawang artikulo pa lang tayo at saka prosecution pa lang yan,” Lacson said.

He noted that once the prosecution completes all four articles, the defense will have its own opportunity to present its case, followed by cross-examination by the prosecution and possible redirect examination by the defense.