SENATE President Sherwin Gatchalian said Tuesday that the Senate would temporarily pause the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte for about 1 to 1 1/2 weeks to focus exclusively on plenary debates for the national budget.
"To be fair to the respondent, the defense has not yet presented its evidence and testimony. We need to hear their side first before thinking about the next steps. In my opinion, there is still a lot of work to be done in this impeachment process," Gatchalian said.
"I am concentrating on the impeachment right now. We are studying everything carefully — the proceedings, the dates, and the schedules. At the same time, the budget season is moving into plenary. We are focusing strictly on the process," he added.
The senator urged the public to be patient until the defense presents its case and evidence.
Gatchalian thanked civil society organizations, including the People’s Budget Coalition, for submitting materials highlighting severe budget insertions in the version passed by the House of Representatives.
"I am grateful to them for independently studying the budget. We have reviewed their findings, and they align with what we are seeing," he said.
"While it is within their mandate to propose amendments, every change must have a proper basis. You cannot just swap projects without justification. In fact, I coordinated with the Department of Public Works and Highways this morning to ensure that proposed changes are backed by feasibility studies, work programs, and technical evaluations," Gatchalian added.
He said that the huge volume of work might force senators to work through the holidays.
"It is very challenging — I won't deny that it will be difficult. Our goal is to approve and ratify the budget before the end of the year. Just like last year, if necessary, we will work through the Christmas holidays. We have no choice — even during Christmas, we will work to finish the budget," he said.
