MANILA, Philippines — The Senate is preparing for another major change in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, with senator-judges considering longer afternoon-to-evening hearings after bad weather repeatedly disrupted proceedings and the approaching 2027 national budget season threatened to squeeze the chamber’s calendar even further.
Senators are expected to discuss the revised timetable on Monday, August 24, according to Bombo Radyo, as the impeachment court looks for a way to recover lost trial days without bringing the Senate’s regular legislative work to a halt.
The adjustment could turn what had been relatively constrained hearings into extended sessions lasting well into the night.
Trial Could Run Until 11 P.M.—Or Even Midnight
Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the majority bloc has been studying a setup in which the Senate holds its regular legislative session in the morning before shifting into impeachment proceedings beginning at around 2:30 p.m.
Under the proposal, hearings could normally continue until about 7:30 p.m., but senators could stay until 11 p.m. or midnight when necessary to finish questioning a witness.
The goal, Lacson said, is to avoid the recurring problem of witnesses being interrupted because impeachment hearings must give way to the Senate’s afternoon plenary session.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian had already said senator-judges reached a broad consensus on moving the trial back to the afternoon, although the formal timetable still has to be finalized and implemented.
Philstar separately reported that the proposed “schedule flip” would place legislative sessions in the morning and impeachment proceedings in the afternoon, potentially allowing the court to hear one witness more completely instead of spreading testimony across several days.
Why the Senate Is Changing the Schedule
The problem is no longer simply the complexity of the case.
The trial has repeatedly lost time because of severe weather.
Proceedings scheduled for August 10 were postponed after heavy rains associated with the southwest monsoon prompted work-from-home arrangements in government offices.
Another scheduled hearing on August 19 was canceled because of forecasts of continued heavy rainfall, adding further pressure to an already crowded impeachment calendar.
That has created a scheduling problem for senators who must simultaneously sit as impeachment judges and perform their ordinary legislative duties.
The looming deliberations on the proposed 2027 national budget are adding urgency to the timetable, according to the Bombo Radyo report.
Prosecution Wants More Time—And Possibly Fridays
The House prosecution team has signaled that it supports longer hearings.
House impeachment spokesperson Ace Barbers backed a 3 p.m. starting time and proposed using Fridays as an additional trial day, while leaving Thursdays available for Senate committee hearings.
Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan has likewise expressed support for afternoon proceedings so legislative and committee work can be handled earlier in the day.
The Inquirer reported that prosecutors are open both to longer daily proceedings and to dedicating an entire Friday to the impeachment case.
Duterte’s defense, meanwhile, has indicated that it will comply with whatever schedule the impeachment court ultimately adopts. Defense lawyer Michael Poa said the Vice President’s camp is prepared to follow the court’s directives.
Confidential Funds Now at the Center of the Trial
The scheduling battle comes as prosecutors are presenting evidence concerning one of the most closely watched portions of the impeachment case: Duterte’s handling of confidential funds.
The impeachment charges include allegations involving ₱500 million in confidential funds released to the Office of the Vice President and ₱112.5 million released to the Department of Education while Duterte served as education secretary, for a combined ₱612.5 million. The allegations remain accusations being litigated before the impeachment court, and Duterte has rejected claims of wrongdoing.
On August 12, Commission on Audit auditor Xylene Mae del Campo testified as the prosecution examined the handling and liquidation of confidential funds.
On August 17, former OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta testified that Duterte instructed her to release ₱125 million in confidential funds to an OVP security officer, according to Inquirer reporting on Day 16 of the proceedings. That testimony forms part of the prosecution’s case and remains subject to examination and rebuttal by the defense.
The Vice President has argued that the impeachment accusations are not supported by sufficient evidence.
This Is Not the Same Impeachment Case the Supreme Court Blocked in 2025
That distinction is important.
The Supreme Court ruled with finality in January 2026 that the fourth impeachment complaint transmitted to the Senate in February 2025 was unconstitutional under the Constitution’s one-year impeachment bar.
New impeachment complaints were subsequently initiated in 2026 after the constitutional waiting period.
The House justice committee later approved new Articles of Impeachment, and on May 11, 2026, the House plenary endorsed those articles to the Senate for trial. They include accusations involving confidential funds, alleged unexplained wealth, bribery and alleged threats, among other charges.
On August 5, the Supreme Court dismissed separate challenges filed against the new proceedings as moot because the House had already approved and transmitted the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate.
The Political Clock Is Now Running Alongside the Legal One
The Senate’s dilemma is becoming increasingly clear.
Move too slowly, and the impeachment trial risks colliding with major legislative deadlines and budget deliberations.
Move too aggressively, and senator-judges must still ensure that both the prosecution and defense are given sufficient time to present evidence, cross-examine witnesses and argue their respective cases.
Impeachment conviction requires the concurrence of two-thirds of all senators, meaning at least 16 votes in a 24-member Senate.
For now, the immediate question is not how senators will ultimately vote.
It is how long they are prepared to remain inside the impeachment court each day to get there.
With hearings potentially stretching toward midnight—and pressure mounting to make up for lost days—the Senate’s next scheduling decision could dramatically change the pace of one of the Philippines’ most consequential political trials.
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