Senate to resume budget hearing as impeachment trial set to pause

The Senate will use the break in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte to resume deliberations on the proposed 2027 national budget, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said Saturday.

Gatchalian said budget hearings would begin on October 13 as the prosecution prepares the documents needed to formally offer its evidence against Duterte.

The impeachment proceedings are scheduled for October 12 and 13, while budget deliberations are set to run from October 13 to 16, he said.

“Since paperwork naman, papeles naman ‘yung gagawin, submission na lang naman ng mga ebidensya," Gatchalian said in an interview.

"Gagamitin natin ‘yung oras para sa budget deliberations,” he added.

The Senate is balancing the impeachment trial with its review of the proposed 2027 national budget, which Gatchalian said was still far from halfway through, with several government agencies yet to present their budget proposals.

“Gusto natin na quality ‘yung trabaho, quality din ‘yung debate, quality analysis. At ‘yun ang challenge,” he said.

He also said the Senate could need another two days to complete its examination of prosecution witness Alexander Cabrera, a financial forensic expert whose testimony includes allegations of unexplained wealth against Duterte.

The additional time would account for the defense’s cross-examination and questions from senator-judges, Gatchalian said.

While Cabrera’s testimony is central to the prosecution’s allegations, Gatchalian stressed that senator-judges must independently evaluate the evidence and the methodology used to arrive at the expert’s findings.