The Senate impeachment court is likely to hold the trial proper for the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte in June, during the congressional break, Senate President Alan Cayetano announced Monday.
Congress is scheduled to adjourn sine die on 5 June until 26 July, though Cayetano—presiding judge—said they could hold the trial every day during this period. Senators took their oath as senator-judges before Cayetano, with only Senator Bato de la Rosa, who "escaped" the Senate before dawn on Thursday, as the only absent.
Cayetano explained that the two-week window after the convening of the Senate as an impeachment court on Monday allows parties to file their respective pleadings. It is also reserved for the pre-trial stage.
"Upon conclusion of the pre-trial, the trial proper shall commence on a date and time fixed by the court of which the parties shall be duly notified,” Cayetano said.
The Senate impeachment court has only given Duterte a maximum of 10 days to counter the damning allegations brought against her by the House of Representatives under the articles of impeachment. The House prosecution team has five days to reply.
Cayetano said the VP is directed to appear before the session hall of the Senate upon motion.
Coup still a threat
Cayetano managed to retain the chamber’s top post when the Senate convened as an impeachment court on Monday, despite growing rumblings of a major leadership revamp over the weekend.
He hinted, however, that efforts for a counter-coup against him remain a threat
Cayetano bared that he reached a consensus with the minority led by his predecessor, Senator Tito Sotto, to proceed with the impeachment-related works until they mustered sufficient political backing to unseat him.
Cayetano’s possible contender, although speculative, would need 13 votes to snatch the presidency from him.
"We already talked about it, that while [they] don't have the numbers yet, let's not delay the usual process in the Senate,” Cayetano told reporters in Filipino in an ambush.
Had the coup succeeded on Monday, Cayetano would have been the shortest-serving Senate president in Philippine history, having held the post for only a week.
In a presser prior to the session, Cayetano attributed the alleged ongoing attacks on the Senate to the “concerted effort” aimed at undermining the chamber ahead of the impeachment trial, hearings for the 2027 budget, and the so-called revived efforts for a Charter change.
He claimed that the Senate is being targeted since it is the “last line of defense” on crucial national issues. He, however, contended that he would resist pressure and vowed that he would not become a mere “puppet Senate president.”
JV, Migz still with minority?
Senators JV Ejercito and Migz Zubiri declared themselves as independent members of the chamber last week after abstaining from voting in favor of either Cayetano or Sotto.
They formed part of Sotto’s majority before he was ousted last Monday, 11 May, in favor of Cayetano through a 13-9-2 vote. Senator Bato de la Rosa’s surprise return to the Senate following a six-month absence gave Cayetano enough votes to wrest the presidency from Sotto.
Ejercito bared that he received a lucrative offer from no less than Cayetano to become the Senate’s majority leader, a position he called “the second most powerful” in the chamber.
Ejercito, however, told reporters that he “politely declined” Cayetano’s offer out of “delicadeza” to the new minority led by Sotto.
During the session, Ejercito and Zubiri still maintained their independence, although they claimed that they preferred to be “associated with the minority.”
As of Monday, Cayetano enjoys the backing of 12 senators, excluding himself. Speculations suggested that the figure is slim, and there is a high chance that the alleged brewing counter-coup against him may happen sooner or later, given the current standing of the minority.
Rumors have it that the opposition’s choice for Cayetano’s potential successor only revolves around Zubiri, Senators Win Gatchalian and Kiko Pangilinan.
Murmurs of a brewing coup against Cayetano allegedly stem from senators’ growing displeasure over the 13 May shooting incident inside the Senate, which put the institution in a bad light globally.
