MANILA, Philippines — Senate Presiding Officer Francis Escudero on Monday clarified that Dec. 16 is not a fixed date for the issuance of a verdict in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, after Senator-Judge Raffy Tulfo questioned reports that the court already set a timetable for its decision.
On the 33rd day of the impeachment trial, Tulfo cited remarks attributed to impeachment court spokesman Reginald Tongol, who reportedly told the media that the trial could reach a final verdict on Dec. 16.
“How true is that, Mr. Presiding Officer?” Tulfo asked.
Escudero said the report was “not entirely accurate,” explaining that any timetable circulating could only have been based on the trial dates outlined in the court’s pretrial order, rather than on a decision by the impeachment court.
He said the prosecution had requested 61 or 62 trial days, while the respondent had requested 30 trial dates.
Applying those figures to the court calendar could produce a projected timetable, Escudero said, but stressed that such a calculation did not reflect the actual pace of the proceedings or the court’s position on when the trial would end.
“At this point in time, let it be placed on record, and let it be known: it’s based on math, not on the realities on the ground of the trial,” Escudero said.
He added that the projected date was merely a “working mathematical equation” and “certainly not based on reality.”
Tulfo then urged Escudero to admonish Tongol, saying the Dec. 16 statement was not the first time the spokesman had made remarks that, in his view, caused confusion.
Tulfo said the senators serving as impeachment judges were sometimes caught off guard by statements made to the media.
