Senator Panfilo Lacson on Sunday said the Senate impeachment court is looking for ways to speed up the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, stressing that she also has the right to a speedy trial.
“I think VP Sara is also entitled, just like any respondent in an ordinary court hearing, to a speedy trial. So we have to devise ways to speed up the proceedings,” Lacson said in an interview with dzBB.
He clarified that accelerating the trial should not affect the presentation of evidence.
“Speed it up not to compromise the presentation of the evidence, but speed it up in such a way that we don’t waste a day in the trial,” he said.
Lacson said he proposed to Senate President and impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero that all witnesses scheduled to testify during a given week stay at the Senate while trial sessions are underway.
Under the proposal, if one witness finishes early, the next witness can immediately take the stand instead of waiting for another hearing date.
“The witnesses lined up by the prosecution or defense for one week must already be in the Senate premises… No trial days would be wasted,” Lacson said.
He said Escudero was receptive to the suggestion.
Lacson also warned that maintaining the current pace could significantly prolong the proceedings.
“There’s no need to exhaust the 11 days for just one article. It will take us until Christmas if our pace is one witness a week,” he said.
The impeachment court has allotted 92 trial days to hear the four Articles of Impeachment against Duterte.
Asked whether the vice president should have attended last week’s proceedings after meeting with her lawyers at the Senate, Lacson declined to comment.
The trial opened on July 6, with prosecutors presenting cybercrime evidence related to Duterte’s alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. Lengthy debates and objections during the first week prompted calls to streamline the proceedings.
