VP Sara Duterte's impeachment trial expected to start on July 6—Erwin Tulfo
The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte is expected to start in the first week of July, according to Sen. Erwin Tulfo.
In an interview on DZMM, Tulfo said that the Senate is planning to commence the trial on July 6, weeks before President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will hold his fifth State of the Nation Address by the end of the month.
"Ang mangyayari po, every Monday po sa umaga ay may session po kami from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then 2 p.m. po may break na one hour, then diretso na po kami sa trial," Tulfo said.
On how long the session will last, the lawmaker said that they may hold it for as long as necessary even if it will last until midnight.
"And then Tuesday, ganoon din po, mayroon pong trial. Tuesday, trial. Wednesday, trial. Thursday po, magkakaroon kami ulit ng hearing ng mga komite," Tulfo said.
After Marcos' SONA, however, Tulfo stressed that that is the time that they will "have to dedicate time for the trial."
"I think three days ang trial and then one day ang mga session and hearings. 'Yan ang gagawin namin. Mayroon pa rin kaming break, Fridays po. Pero kung may mga komite na gusto magpa-hearing, then Fridays," he said.
On May 18, the Senate had convened as an impeachment cour to begin the trial of Duterte, who is facing allegations of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, corruption, and other high crimes.
Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano took his oath as the presiding officer of the impeachment court while the 22 other lawmakers present made their pledges as senator-judges. Sen. Bato Dela Rosa, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, was absent from today's proceedings.
If they find her guilty of the charges, Duterte will be removed from her current post and permanently barred from holding public office.
The Senate last convened as an impeachment court for the trial of Duterte in June 2025. It voted to archive the said complaint after the Supreme Court ruled that an article of impeachment against Duterte was unconstitutional, as it violated the one-year bar rule and due process.