The Senate should allow ordinary Filipinos to attend the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte through a walk-in system to fill vacant seats in the gallery, civic group Bantay Impeachment said on Monday.

In a statement it posted on social media, the group urged Senate leaders to capitalize on the heightened public interest in the proceedings by ensuring that all available seats are occupied.

The appeal came after Bantay Impeachment said it noted numerous empty seats in the Senate gallery on 3 August as the impeachment court resumed hearing Article I, during which the prosecution presented a Commission on Audit (CoA) official as a witness on the alleged misuse of confidential funds.

“We are calling on the leadership of the Senate to allow walk-in citizen-observers one hour after the session on the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte begins. That should be ample time for the people that registered for the impeachment to arrive and for the absentees to be replaced by walk-ins,” the group said.

Bantay Impeachment noted that while public registration slots are often marked “fully booked,” many seats remained unoccupied during Monday’s proceedings.

The group said public interest in the trial remains high because it involves allegations concerning the use of public funds, an issue that affects all Filipinos.

It also urged the Senate to designate an area where members of the public could share their views on the impeachment proceedings.

During Monday’s hearing, CoA auditor Roderick Wamil testified that state auditors had flagged deficiencies in documents submitted by the Office of the Vice President to support its use of confidential funds.