No conflict seen between Congress session, VP Duterte trial

MANILA, Philippines — The resumption of Congress on July 27 for the president’s State of the Nation Address will not conflict with the ongoing Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, Rep. Rodge Gutierrez said in a media briefing on Wednesday. Gutierrez pointed out that the prosecution panel members had already been balancing trial work with their responsibilities as House members even while Congress was on recess. “As it is, even before the session, the prosecution’s time is already divided. We still have our constituents to serve. So I think it should be very, very much manageable,” he said. Article continues after this advertisement “I think there won’t be that big adjustment. The only adjustment really would be our physical adjustment,” he added. READ: Senate to hold shortened Duterte impeachment trial for Sona week Change in schedule Congress will open its second regular session on July 27, prompting a change in the Senate impeachment court’s schedule. Instead of convening at 2 p.m., trial proceedings are expected to be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Monday to Wednesday to accommodate the House plenary session. The revised schedule will not immediately take effect, however, as the impeachment court is set to meet only on Wednesday, July 29, before resuming its regular Monday-to-Wednesday calendar. Article continues after this advertisement Asked if the trial would interfere with legislative work, Gutierrez said: “I don’t think so. Like I mentioned, as it stands, even before the session comes in, the prosecutors’ work as congressmen continues. And I see it would be the same even with the session resuming.” He added that the return to a regular session could simplify the prosecutors’ schedules, as they would no longer need to divide as much of their time between the trial and travel to their districts. Article continues after this advertisement Gutierrez also said the extent of the private prosecutors’ participation would depend on the prosecution’s legal strategy, rather than on whether the lawmaker-prosecutors had less time to handle the case. READ: Marcos’ 5th Sona to be ‘simple yet dignified,’ says Palace Legislative work goes on For his part, Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V said the House could carry out its legislative work as lawmakers involved in the impeachment continue attending the trial, although doing so might require longer working hours. “Well, at least, we have more flexibility because of the schedule. We just need time management. But maybe we will see that the House of Representatives may go a bit on overtime, especially at the start of the session,” Ortega said. He added that the congressional recess had actually posed a greater scheduling challenge because lawmakers had to split their time between the impeachment proceedings and constituency work. Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful. “We actually found it harder during this break because we had less time for our districts,” he said. /atm