Senate impeachment court OKs 92 trial days, 17 shared witnesses

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate court for Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial approved the 92 trial days proposed by the prosecution and the defense teams, who will also share 17 witnesses.

This was contained in a 15-page pretrial order promulgated on Monday, signed by Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian.

“The proposed number of trial dates is 62 for the prosecution and 30 for the respondents,” the order stated.

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READ: Bantug: Pretrial order sent to parties in Sara Duterte impeachment case

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Trial begins on July 6 at 2 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays until July 27.

After that, the trial shall begin at 3 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays until its termination.

READ: Impeach court can force ex-sheriff punched by Sara Duterte to testify

Duterte is facing the following articles of impeachment:

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Article I: alleged misuse of up to P612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education (DepEd) from late 2022 to 2023;

Article II: alleged accumulation of unexplained wealth disproportionate to her income as a public official, and supposed nondisclosure of all her assets;

Article III: alleged bribery and corruption through monetary gifts and secret payments to DepEd officials during her tenure as education chief; and

Article IV: public disclosure of allegedly contracting a hitman to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Breakdown of prosecution’s 62 trial dates

Most, or 31, of the prosecution’s trial days were allotted to prove Article I, which pertains to misuse and misappropriation of confidential funds.

Prosecutors also got 12 trial dates assigned to prove Article II, which pertains to alleged unexplained wealth, false SALNs, and continued business interests, 11 trial dates for Article IV, tackling alleged assassination plot, grave threats, and inciting sedition against the government, and eight trial dates for Article III, tackling alleged bribery and corruption in the Department of Education.

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The order said prosecutors reserved the right to present additional or substitute witnesses if need be.

Common witnesses

The prosecution will present 57 witnesses, while the respondent will likewise have 45 witnesses.

Of these, both parties have 17 common witnesses.

These include Duterte’s self-proclaimed alleged bagman Ramil Madriaga, former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, National Bureau of Investigation chief Melvin Matibag, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla and Anti Money Laundering Council Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura.

As of Monday, the pretrial order was already copy-furnished to both the prosecution and defense.

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Both parties are directed to review the order within three calendar days. After that, corrections will not be allowed anymore. /cb