SENATE President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson proposed Friday a structured weekly schedule for legislative duties and a potential impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte.
He said impeachment proceedings would be conducted on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays starting at 3 p.m., while regular Senate sessions would take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Mornings, he said, would be reserved for committee hearings and preparation.
Lacson emphasized that the proposed arrangement is designed to prevent institutional paralysis, noting that holding impeachment hearings daily or simultaneously with plenary sessions could disrupt the Senate’s core functions.
“The goal is to avoid paralyzing the Senate,” he said in a radio interview, adding that a clear division of time would allow senators to remain productive both as legislators and as members of an impeachment court.
The Senate is constitutionally mandated to act as an impeachment court once the House of Representatives transmits formal articles of impeachment. As of Friday, the chamber is awaiting such transmittal before it can convene proceedings.
Lacson is optimistic that his proposal would gain support.
He stressed the importance of giving senators adequate time to study the case and prepare for hearings.
“We should give the mornings to the senators to review and prepare, while not affecting hearings of the committees,” Lacson said.
