The trial will actually start on July 6 after our break
In the Philippines, the Senate has fixed July 6 as the opening of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte — a moment that places one of the nation's highest offices under the formal scrutiny of its peers. The chamber has designed a dual-track schedule, balancing the weight of constitutional accountability with the ongoing demands of governance, as if to say that a democracy cannot pause even when it must judge itself. Preliminary exchanges between the defense and prosecution must first run their course, reminding us that the architecture of due process exists not to delay justice but to ensure it arrives with integrity.
- The Senate has locked in July 6 as the trial's opening date, transforming what was political tension into a concrete constitutional countdown.
- Before a single witness is heard, Duterte's legal team has ten days to respond to the impeachment articles, followed by a five-day prosecution reply — a procedural gauntlet that could sharpen or complicate the charges.
- Senators have proposed marathon sessions running from two in the afternoon until midnight, signaling they expect the trial to be grueling, substantive, and not easily resolved.
- A parallel morning legislative schedule has been carved out to prevent the trial from swallowing the Senate whole, preserving the institution's ability to govern while it sits in judgment.
- The pre-trial phase — where evidence is marked and procedures are set — remains a wildcard that could either smooth the path to July 6 or quietly push the timeline further out.
The Philippine Senate has set July 6 as the opening date for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, with Senator Erwin Tulfo announcing the timeline after closed-door discussions among all senators. The date signals the chamber's resolve to proceed in a structured manner, even as the trial's full shape remains subject to procedural steps still ahead.
Before formal hearings begin, the Senate president will give Duterte's legal team ten days to file a written response to the impeachment articles. The prosecution — composed of House members who brought the charges — will then have five days to reply. Only after these exchanges will the Senate enter the pre-trial phase, where evidence is formally marked, witness statements are submitted, and the mechanics of the trial are established.
To keep the institution functioning throughout what could be a lengthy process, senators have proposed a demanding dual-track schedule. Regular legislative sessions would run Monday mornings from ten until one, preserving the Senate's capacity to pass bills and conduct ordinary business. Impeachment hearings would then follow each afternoon, potentially stretching until eleven at night or midnight — a pace that reflects both the gravity of the undertaking and the refusal to let it paralyze the chamber.
How long the trial will ultimately last remains an open question. The pre-trial phase may surface complexities that shift the calendar, or it may proceed cleanly and allow proceedings to open on schedule. For now, the Senate has a date and a framework — and the weeks between now and early July will determine whether both hold.
The Philippine Senate has settled on July 6 as the opening day for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, according to Senator Erwin Tulfo, who outlined the timeline following closed-door discussions among all senators after Tuesday's session. The announcement came Thursday and signals the chamber's intention to move forward with structured, deliberate proceedings even as the exact shape of the trial remains subject to procedural steps still to come.
Before the trial itself can begin, several preliminary phases must unfold. The Senate president will first allow Duterte's legal team ten days to file a written response to the articles of impeachment. Once that period closes, the prosecution panel—the House members bringing the charges—will have five calendar days to submit their own reply to whatever arguments the vice president's camp advances. Only after these exchanges are complete will the Senate move into what Tulfo called the pre-trial phase, a procedural stage where evidence gets formally marked, witness statements are submitted, and the mechanics of the actual trial are hammered out.
Tulfo described an ambitious dual-track schedule designed to keep the Senate functioning as a legislative body while simultaneously conducting what could be a lengthy and consuming trial. The plan calls for regular Senate sessions to convene each Monday morning from ten o'clock until one in the afternoon, preserving the chamber's ability to pass bills and conduct ordinary business. After a one-hour break, senators would reconvene at two in the afternoon for impeachment hearings that could stretch until eleven at night or midnight, depending on the day's proceedings. This arrangement reflects a recognition that an impeachment trial of a sitting vice president is not a matter that can be rushed, yet the Senate cannot simply suspend all other work for weeks or months.
The intensity of the proposed schedule underscores how seriously the Senate is treating the undertaking. Tulfo's description of hearings potentially running until midnight suggests senators expect each day of trial to be substantive and demanding, with examination of witnesses, presentation of evidence, and legal argument consuming hours. The Monday-morning legislative sessions, meanwhile, signal that the Senate leadership wants to avoid the appearance that the trial has paralyzed the institution.
What remains unclear at this stage is how long the trial itself will last once it formally opens on July 6. The pre-trial phase could reveal complexities that extend the timeline, or it could proceed smoothly and allow the trial proper to begin on schedule. The articles of impeachment against Duterte have been filed, but the procedural machinery is still grinding through its early stages. For now, the Senate has a target date and a framework. Whether that framework holds depends on what emerges in the weeks between now and early July.
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The plan is that every Monday morning we will have a session so that we don't run out of time, then after a one-hour break, we go straight to the trial from 2 p.m. until the end—maybe until 11 p.m. or 12 midnight.— Senator Erwin Tulfo
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Why does the Senate need to set a trial date so far in advance? Why not just start when they're ready?
Because impeachment is a constitutional process with built-in delays. The vice president's team gets ten days to respond to the charges, then the prosecution gets five days to reply. You can't skip those steps—they're part of the legal structure.
So July 6 assumes everything stays on schedule. What if it doesn't?
Exactly. That's why Tulfo said it's a target, not a guarantee. If the pre-trial phase uncovers something unexpected, or if either side needs more time, the date could shift. But having a date announced publicly puts pressure on everyone to move.
The schedule sounds exhausting—morning sessions, then trials until midnight. Why not just do the trial full-time?
Because the Senate still has to govern. Bills need to pass, budgets need approval. If the trial consumed the entire day, the country's legislative work would stop. This compromise lets them do both, barely.
Is there any chance the trial doesn't happen at all?
At this point, no. The articles have been filed, the process is underway. The only question now is timing and procedure, not whether it happens.
What happens during the pre-trial phase? Is that where the real fighting happens?
Not really. Pre-trial is mostly technical—marking evidence, organizing documents, making sure both sides know what they're dealing with. The actual fight, the testimony and argument, that's the trial itself.