SENATOR-JUDGE Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday urged the Senate leadership to reconsider the schedule of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial and prioritize deliberations on the national budget, warning that rushing the trial and pushing the plenary budget deliberations to the end of November can worsen the country’s economic challenges.
“Given the Super El Niño, given the financial challenges of the world and the volatility of oil prices, the US-Iran war, if we’re going to start discussing the budget on the 23rd (of November) or after that, that may really take its toll on us. And we won’t feel that until next year,” the Minority Leader said during the 39th day of the trial on October 13.
This came after Presiding Officer Francis Escudero announced that the impeachment trial will resume next month, with full-day trials being held on November 10, 12, 13, 19, and 20.
Committee-level budget hearings, already put on hold for two weeks as the Senate devoted full days to the impeachment trial, resume on October 14, while plenary deliberations on the proposed 2027 national budget are now expected to begin in late November instead of the earlier-targeted November 9.
Cayetano said he is “not convinced” that the impeachment trial should take precedence, pointing out that starting the budget plenary deliberations by the third week of November would amount to three weeks of delay.
He said while impeachment is an important accountability mechanism, the Senate should first focus on passing the national budget amid the country’s continuing economic crisis.
“May Super El Niño. Hindi pa tapos y’ung flood control investigation… We’re in an economic crisis, not only because of our own doing, but the whole world. All of us here legislators share all these concerns,” he said.
Addressing the prosecution’s formal withdrawal of Articles I, III, and IV of the impeachment complaint against Duterte to expedite the trial, preserve government resources and the public’s time, and allow the Senate to fulfill its regular legislative duties, Cayetano said there is no need to rush because there is no deadline to complete the proceedings.
He said the Senate Impeachment Court is in fact free to temporarily suspend the trial to make way for budget deliberations and resume it after completing work on the national budget.
“We can take a break tomorrow and focus on the budget… Kung ako masusunod, unahin natin y’ung budget,” he said.
Cayetano appealed to the Senate President, the Presiding Officer, and the Majority Leader to reconsider the schedule and give priority to the national budget.
“Priorities are priorities. Priority dapat y’ung budget. The budget is not just passing it… So maybe I can just lay this at your feet and [you can] take it under advisement,” he said.