SP Gatchalian: Senate must balance Sara trial, 2027 budget work

The Senate is balancing the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte with deliberations on the proposed P7.2-trillion 2027 national budget, with Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian saying lawmakers must ensure neither proceeding is compromised.

The Senate has yet to complete half of its budget hearings, Gatchalian said, as the impeachment court prepares to resume proceedings on 12 and 13 October.

“We cannot sacrifice the budget for the impeachment, and vice versa. We want quality work, quality debate, quality analysis,” he said in a radio interview Saturday.

Budget hearings are scheduled for 13 to 16 October. The prosecution’s formal offer of evidence on 14 October will involve documentary submissions rather than a full day of trial proceedings, allowing senators to attend to budget deliberations, Gatchalian said.

The Senate is targeting the week of 9 November to sponsor the budget in plenary, followed by floor deliberations and a bicameral conference committee to reconcile the Senate and House versions.

Gatchalian warned that failure to enact the budget before year-end would leave the government operating under a reenacted budget, which he said would be detrimental to the economy.

The Senate is also aiming to conclude Duterte’s impeachment trial before the end of 2026, with the timeline depending partly on the defense’s presentation of evidence.