Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial to begin on July 6

MANILA, Philippines – The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte will start on July 6, Senator Erwin Tulfo said on Thursday, May 21.

Tulfo said in an interview with GMA News’ Unang Balita that the trial will be held in the afternoon, around 3 pm, from Monday to Wednesday.

Before the trial, the Senate will hold regular sessions from 10 am until 1 pm.

Tulfo said that this schedule was agreed upon by the senators in a caucus on Wednesday, May 20.

During the plenary session on Wednesday, Cayetano announced that the Duterte camp confirmed receipt of the impeachment court’s summons in relation to the articles of impeachment filed against the Vice President.

Duterte has 10 calendar days to respond but Cayetano said that since May 30 falls on a Saturday, the deadline for her response is on the next working day, Monday, June 1.

When Duterte submits her response, the House prosecution panel has five days to respond to the Vice President’s arguments. The five days will be counted from the time the prosecutors receive a copy of the response, Cayetano said.

The Senate on Monday, May 18, convened as an impeachment court. This comes a week after a leadership shake-up that installed Cayetano, a known Duterte ally, as Senate president.

Duterte was impeached twice by the House of Representatives. Duterte’s first impeachment did not progress after the Senate impeachment court archived the articles of impeachment, citing the Supreme Court decision halting her trial. – Rappler.com