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House Secretary General Reginald Velasco and Senate Secretary Renato Bantug inspect the Senate session hall on Tuesday, March 18, which will serve as an impeachment court for Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial.
The Philippine STAR / Jesse Bustos
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate has approved the House prosecution panel’s request for rooms to use in preparing for Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said.
Visiting the Senate on Tuesday, March 18, Velasco and some House personnel checked the spaces and facilities available for the prosecution panel and impeachment secretariat.
They were accompanied by Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. who showed them the Sen. Arturo M. Tolentino Room, which has been designated as the prosecution panel's office for the impeachment proceedings.
For the trial itself, the Senate session hall will serve as the venue. Velasco said he is satisfied with the planned setup.
“This is our first visit here, and we are very happy with the setup. We have no comments, no complaints, but we are happy that the Senate is joining us. We are one in this forthcoming event,” he said during an ambush interview.
The same venue was used for the impeachment trial of the late Chief Justice Renato Corona in May 2012 during the administration of former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.
If the House has any requests or concerns regarding the designated facilities, Velasco said recommendations will be made only after assessing the available spaces in the Senate.
However, the House of Representatives will also have an office for “some backroom operations,” he said. The same room will be used by the impeachment secretariat and other House officials during the trial.
According to the Senate's tentative schedule, House prosecutors will present the articles of impeachment on June 2, coinciding with Congress’ resumption after the 2025 midterm elections.
The Senate is set to approve the rules of procedure for impeachment trials on the same day, while senators will convene as an impeachment court and take their oath on June 3.
Pre-trial proceedings are scheduled from June 24 to July 25, with the trial itself set to begin on July 30 under the 20th Congress.
Some senators have also begun fitting their robes for the impeachment trial. The House prosecution panel, on the other hand, has recently disclosed their assignments while preparing for the presentation of impeachment articles.
Duterte was impeached on February 5 by 215 House lawmakers based on the fourth impeachment complaint, which cited culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption and other high crimes as grounds.
