MANILA, Philippines — The Senate has yet to reach a final decision on proposed changes to the schedule of the impeachment trial, with Senate leaders giving conflicting statements on whether a consensus has been reached.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said Friday that senators had reached a consensus to swap the schedules of regular plenary sessions and the impeachment trial. However, he told the Inquirer that no schedule change would take effect next week.
“Most likely, next next week,” Gatchalian said when asked when the proposed arrangement could begin.
Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, however, said senators had not reached an agreement.
“Nope. We have not agreed yet,” Sotto told the Inquirer when asked about the proposed schedule change.
The Senate is considering the changes as delays have raised concerns over the pace of the impeachment proceedings. The impeachment court has used 16 of the 92 days allotted for the trial, while two trial days were canceled this week because of monsoon rains.
Senator-Judge and Senate Majority Leader Migz Zubiri earlier proposed holding regular plenary sessions in the morning and moving the impeachment trial to the afternoon, potentially allowing proceedings to continue into the evening.
The Senate initially held the trial from 2 p.m. every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday after proceedings began July 6. After Congress resumed its regular legislative work on July 27, senators moved the trial to 10 a.m., followed by plenary sessions at 3 p.m.
The impeachment court is also considering holding trial sessions on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays or adding more trial dates within the 92-day period.