Chiz hopeful impeach trial can end this year

August 26, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Impeachment court presiding officer Sen. Francis Escudero yesterday expressed optimism that the chamber would be able to conclude Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial before the end of the year as senators scramble to balance the proceedings with the demanding schedule of the forthcoming budget deliberations.

Escudero made the forecast in response to Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri’s inquiry about the trial’s long-term timeline.

“To respond to senator-judge Zubiri in broad strokes, the presiding officer is optimistic and hopeful that we will complete these proceedings before the end of the year,” Escudero said before adjourning the session.

Zubiri, one of the strongest proponents of flipping the impeachment trial schedule to afternoon, asked if the trial would drag on to next year, as he emphasized the need to synchronize the proceedings with the senators’ primary legislative duties. “We just need to be guided accordingly for our legislative calendar as well,” Zubiri manifested.

“We want to know if we’re going to continue all the way till February on this topic so that in the legislative calendar, we can also make adjustments,” he added.

Zubiri noted that once budget discussions go into full swing, department heads would be summoned to the Senate, potentially forcing lawmakers and their staff to work straight through Saturdays without rest.

The majority leader added that the chairman of the committee on finance is already “heavily stressed out” trying to figure how to squeeze the budget hearings into the current setup.

Escudero assured the chamber that a more definitive timeline for the impeachment trial would be laid out once the finance committee officially releases its calendar for the budget deliberations.

“Given that that is the most important piece of legislation that the Senate, as a legislative body, is supposed to pass, we have to allocate enough time for that to ensure its passage before the end of the year,” Escudero explained, citing the need to factor in the bicameral conference committee and inputs from the House of Representatives.

Once the budget schedule is finalized, Escudero said the Senate will have a clearer picture of how and when they might shift the impeachment trial’s daily hours to accommodate both massive undertakings.

The Vice President’s defense team has also expressed belief that an early conclusion of the impeachment trial would be in the best interest of everyone.

“I think both parties would like to finish this as early as possible. In fact, even our Vice President, who is our client, has already spoken out that she wants the impeachment to be expedited,” defense spokesman Michael Poa said at a press conference yesterday. — Bella Cariaso