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MANILA, Philippines — The Senate will convene as an impeachment court on Monday, May 18, to begin proceedings on the case against Vice President Sara Duterte, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano said Thursday, May 14.
In a letter to House Speaker Faustino Dy III dated May 14, Cayetano formally acknowledged the Senate’s receipt of the articles of impeachment against Duterte and their annexes, which were transmitted by the House on Wednesday night, May 13.
The impeachment court is set to convene at 3 p.m. Monday, according to the letter.
"Pursuant to Rule 1 of the Senate Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Rules, the Senate has taken proper order of the impeachment and shall immediately proceed to its consideration, consistent with its mandate under Article XI, Section 3 of the Constitution," Cayetano said.
He said the Senate secretariat had been directed to include the articles of impeachment in the Calendar for Ordinary Business for referral to the impeachment court.
The court, Cayetano said, "shall be convened on 18 May, 2026, 3:00 p.m. or at the soonest possible time, absent any question on the rules and procedure relating to the transmitted Articles."
The parties will be directed to appear before the impeachment court "on a date to be determined subsequently," he added.
The Senate is having a turbulent week, where the impeachment documents were transmitted shortly after gunshots were fired from an unknown source at the Senate. Alongside it was a standoff over Sen. Bato dela Rosa, who had been staying under Senate protection while facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.
Cayetano himself was installed as Senate president only on Monday in a surprise coup, when Dela Rosa showed up after months in hiding to form a new Duterte-aligned majority.
Duterte faces impeachment charges of misuse of public funds, unexplained wealth and death threats against the president and his wife, the First Lady.
Trial proper, timetable
Speaking to reporters, Cayetano said the Senate will prepare a draft calendar for the trial based on the Constitution and impeachment rules.
"What we're doing now, after the meeting, is we're going to make a draft calendar. And the calendar will not be based on anything discretionary. It will be based on objectivity," Cayetano said.
"So kung nakalagay sa rules, ganitong number of days para sumagot, this number of days para sumagot, then trial na kaagad," he added. (So if the rules provide a certain number of days to answer, and this number of days to answer, then the trial proceeds immediately.)
While the convening as impeachment court is set on May 18, the trial proper begins later. Cayetano said he did not want to preempt the calendar but mentioned July as an offhand estimate.
"You try it proper after all the procedures. So kung ano ang nasa rules, kung ano ang nasa Constitution," he said. (So whatever is in the rules, whatever is in the Constitution.)
"July... I don't want to preempt the calendar. But if it's 15 [session] days, then we will follow that," Cayetano added, referring
Cayetano also denied suggestions that the change in Senate leadership was meant to block or delay Duterte’s impeachment trial.
"Having said that, we will follow the law. So walang magiging delays," he said. (Having said that, we will follow the law. So there will be no delays.)
Asked how often the trial should be held, Cayetano said it could run from Monday to Wednesday or Monday to Thursday, but "definitely not Monday to Friday because you need a motion day." — reports from Ian Laqui and Martin Ramos
