The proposed "3 p.m. to sawa" set-up for Vice President Sara Duterte's Senate impeachment trial is gaining traction with the House prosecution panel.

This, as the high-stakes trial enters its ninth week, but only 16 actual hearings to show for it.

Under the current set-up of the Senate impeachment court, hearings are held every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

It was Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri who suggested to start future hearings at 3 p.m. and have them last up to the late hours of the evening. This will give senator-judges more time to tackle bills and resolutions in the morning and at the same time allow longer impeachment hearings.

House impeachment team adviser and spokesperson Robert Ace Barbers said an afternoon schedule will give congressmen the same benefit, while an additional Friday hearing could help the impeachment court make up for lost time.

“Morning ’yung legislative work, and then 3 p.m. one to sawa, ‘ika nga, eh doon na natin talakayin itong impeachment. Dahil equally important din naman itong usaping ito, kagaya ng ginagawang legislation ng ating mga senador at ating mga kongresista,” the former Surigao del Norte representative said.

(Morning is for legislative work, and then at 3 p.m. until they tire, so to speak, that’s when we will tackle this impeachment. Because this issue is equally important, just like the legislation being done by our senators and congressmen.)

Barbers noted that Thursdays are generally devoted to Senate committee hearings and suggested leaving that schedule intact while using Friday as an additional trial day.

“If and when they want to extend a little bit more and become patriotic, ‘ika nga, magdagdag ng Friday. ’Yung Friday, libre ’yung araw na ’yun eh. Pwede namang gawin for trial lang the whole day, kung gusto nila,” he noted.

(If and when they want to extend a little bit more and become patriotic, so to speak, they can add Friday. Friday is a free day anyway. They can use it for trial the whole day, if they want.)

Barbers added that one more trial day could help prevent the proceedings from dragging on for months.

The trial--which will determine whether or not Duterte remains Vice President and gets to run for public office in the future--began last July 6.

“I think, if we want to finish this as early as possible, siguro para hindi tayo abutin ng Pasko, eh siguro magdagdag ng isang araw,” he said.

(I think, if we want to finish this as early as possible, maybe so we don’t reach Christmas, then maybe we should add one more day.)

Solon-prosecutor Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon has also supported longer hearings hours or additional dates.

Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan supported the 3 p.m. start. “Ang ideal diyan, eh dapat sana ang impeachment eh three o’clock na. Para makatuloy-tuloy na hanggang, so that both houses can do their legislative work in the morning or committee hearings, tapos ng three o’clock, hanggang sawa na ’yun. Three to the evening,” she said.

(The ideal setup is that the impeachment should start at three o’clock. That way it can continue straight through, so that both houses can do their legislative work or committee hearings in the morning, and then from three o’clock onward, until they tire, it goes on. Three into the evening.)

Kapunan said the later schedule could allow the impeachment court to continue proceedings into the evening instead of breaking for the Senate’s regular plenary session.

“To me, the sooner the better,” Kapunan said when asked when the proposed trial schedule should be implemented.