Nakakaantok? Benny Abante caught dozing off during VP Sara Duterte’s trial

Photos from Senate, House; Graphics by David Castuciano/Rappler 'Nakakaantok 'yung mga tanong ng defense lawyers e kaya medyo nakatulog ako,' Abante quips after the rather embarrassing callout from the presiding officer Congressman Bienvenido Abante was called out during Vice President Sara Duterte's trial for dozing off during the impeachment trial. Senator Chiz Escudero humorously addressed the situation, suggesting that Abante might need a break due to fatigue from recent budget deliberations. Abante downplayed the incident, attributing his drowsiness to the nature of the defense lawyers' questions, despite being an endorser of the impeachment complaint against Duterte. This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors. Someone must not have gotten enough sleep on the eve of the 30th day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial. Worse, Congressman Bienvenido “Benny” Abante got called out for it — in a moment for the world to see. Trial presiding officer Chiz Escudero called Abante’s attention on Monday, September 28, when the senator noticed that the congressman’s eyes had been closed for an extended period of time. “Before calling on Senator Joel Villanueva, may I ask Congressman (Noy) Defensor, (former) congressman (Ace) Barbers to nudge Congressman Benny Abante a bit? It seems he’s tired. He may want to rest somewhere, but not right behind the witness,” Escudero said. Lead prosecutor Jinky Luistro tried to make light of the situation, saying: “Your Honor, I think he’s praying for us.” Escudero smiled at the little joke, before saying he doubts that was the case, but also came up with an excuse on behalf of Abante. “It’s been a long day, I guess, because he just approved the budget last week,” Escudero said. The House just wrapped up plenary deliberations on the proposed 2027 budget on September 25, and is likely to pass the spending bill on second reading in early October. After being caught in the act, Abante tried to downplay the rather embarrassing callout. “Nakakaantok ‘yung mga tanong ng defense lawyers e kaya medyo nakatulog ako (The questions of the defense lawyers made me sleepy. I fell asleep a bit),” Abante said. Abante is not part of the prosecution team, but is often in the Senate to watch the impeachment proceedings. He was among the endorsers of the original impeachment complaint against Duterte. But maybe a congressman knows better than be seen dozing off in the gallery of the impeachment court. Maybe a cup of coffee for the honorable lawmaker? – Rappler.com How does this make you feel? Loading