Senate rejects VP Sara's request to pay for her staff's catered meals

“The majority agreed that it would not be proper for the Senate to foot the bill for their catering,” Tulfo said, noting that each party participating in the proceedings is expected to cover their own operational and administrative expenses. In a letter from the OVP addressed to Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, Duterte requested that all meals and beverages served to her team and witnesses be prepared exclusively by the OVP’s accredited caterer and served inside their designated holding room, citing “legitimate security concerns.” The request also explicitly asked that the Senate bear the “reasonable costs” of these specialized catering services. “The requested measures are necessary to safeguard the safety and well-being of the defense team, support staff and witnesses, ensure their full and effective participation, and support the orderly and uninterrupted conduct of the proceedings,” the OVP said. The request quickly drew criticism from political observers and lawmakers who questioned the propriety of spending taxpayer money on a respondent’s preferred catering service. Senators noted that while safety protocols and holding areas are provided to ensure the trial moves forward without disruption, funding private meals for defense counsel goes beyond the Senate’s mandated administrative obligations as an impeachment court. Charge intact, prosecutors say House prosecutors, meanwhile, said the impeachment charge accusing Vice President Duterte of making grave threats remained intact despite the defense panel’s extensive cross-examinations of the prosecution’s witnesses. House prosecutor Arlene Bag-ao said the lengthy questioning did not alter what the prosecution had established before the Senate impeachment court after presenting National Bureau of Investigation Special Agent John Mark Calilung, Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc and Director Melvin Matibag to support the article on grave threats. “The proceedings ended yesterday after our third witness, and despite the many questions, what we proved under that article did not change,” Bag-ao said, referring to the prosecution’s decision to rest its case on the threats article after Matibag completed his testimony. She added that the proceedings highlighted the level of accountability expected from the country’s highest-ranking public officials, saying the impeachment process has helped clarify the responsibility attached to public office and the standards officials are expected to uphold. House prosecution legal spokesman Benjamin Tolosa Jr. said the defense was given every opportunity to conduct a “full and searching cross-examination” as part of due process. He said cross-examination only has legal significance if it succeeds in disproving a material fact, official record or institutional finding presented before the impeachment court. Tolosa maintained that the prosecution’s documentary evidence and official findings remain on record, adding that it is now up to the Senate impeachment court to determine whether the defense succeeded in weakening the evidence presented. Senate priorities Also on Thursday, Gatchalian said the Senate is recalibrating its priorities to focus sharply on measures to jump-start the economy and anti-corruption safeguards following downgraded growth forecasts and ongoing impeachment proceedings. Speaking in an interview at the Senate on July 23, Gatchalian said that economic projections for the Philippines have dropped from the initial target of 5 to 6 percent down to 3.5 to 4.5 percent, a decline that threatens job creation and poverty reduction initiatives. To counteract the economic slowdown, Gatchalian said the Senate will cluster legislative priorities identified under the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council, focusing on measures designed to stimulate growth alongside expanding social safety net programs, including the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation and the establishment of a dedicated Geriatric Hospital.