MANILA, Philippines — The Senate has P11 million remaining budget for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, more than enough to cover the proceedings, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said Thursday.
Lacson said slightly more than P14 million had been spent from the P25.7 million continuing appropriation under the 2025 General Appropriations Act for the trial, based on figures cited by Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian.
“The remaining funds will be enough because only one article remains, and the defense still has to make its presentation. The proceedings will not take much longer, and there may even be savings,” he said in an interview on DZBB radio.
Lacson earlier disputed claims by Duterte’s spokesman, Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr., that about P500 million had been “wasted” on the impeachment trial.
Lacson said Panelo may have made an honest mistake, explaining that the roughly P25 million in daily expenses referred to the Senate’s regular operating costs as a legislative body, not the cost of the impeachment proceedings.
The House prosecution panel earlier said it would focus on Article II, which covers allegations of unexplained wealth and irregularities in Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, after dropping the other three impeachment articles
