Too much speaking time? Senator Raffy Tulfo hits the buzzer.

TULFO. Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo poses a question to National Bureau of Investigation BARMM Regional Director Attorney Jeremy Lotoc during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on July 14, 2026. Senate Social Media Unit The Senate impeachment court's tiny buzzer and bell-ringer Anika steal the show on Day 9 of Vice President Sara Duterte's trial The impeachment court’s tiny buzzer stole the spotlight on Wednesday, July 22. Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo openly questioned why some senator-judges seemed to be getting extra time while others are cut off almost immediately. “Bakit kapag sa kabila pinapayagan sila 5 to 10 minutes. Bakit kapag sa amin, sa majority, kinu-cut agad nila ’yung time pagdating ng two minutes,” Tulfo asked. Nakakahalata na kami.” (Why is it that the other side is allowed to speak for five to 10 minutes, but when it’s our turn, the majority, they cut us off the moment we reach the two-minute mark? We’ve noticed it.) Tulfo said he nudges the Senate secretariat to hit the buzzer when colleagues go overtime. “Kung minsan binubulungan ko na ’yung ano diyan, ’Uy, pindutin mo na ’yung bell para makapagsalita ‘yung iba,'” Tulfo said. (Sometimes I even whisper to the staff there, ‘Hey, ring the bell so the others can have a chance to speak.) Inside the courtroom, Presiding Officer Chiz Escudero claimed that “there’s no majority nor minority. We are all senator-judges.” During the trial, Escudero also made a shoutout to the mystery bell-ringer: Anika, a lawyer from the Senate secretariat. The courtroom erupted in laughter as the previously anonymous staff member was suddenly named in open court. BELL RINGER. Anika, a lawyer from the Senate secretariat, serves as the bell ringer in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, on July 22, 2026. Afterwards, the bell seemed to ring a little more cautiously. Senators are typically given two minutes each. The timer is paused whenever a senator is not speaking. There are also digital clocks in the session hall synchronized with the secretariat’s timer. However, some senator-judges still stretched their time, including senators Pia Cayetano and Imee Marcos. At the back row, while Marcos was questioning the witness, the eyes of male senator-judges were on the buzzer. Senator Erwin Tulfo was seen taking the buzzer from Anika and placing it on their table. Seated with him were Raffy Tulfo and Kiko Pangilinan, while Ping Lacson and Lito Lapid joined in as they joked, pointed at one another, and teased about who should press it. Pangilinan eventually stood up and returned the buzzer to the Senate secretariat. He placed it on the ledge of the staff’s table. But Raffy Tulfo’s intrusive thoughts seemed to kick in. He turned around and pressed the bell behind him. The buzzer rang, but Senator Marcos kept speaking anyway. The trial adjourned at 4:41 pm. Nine trial days down. Roughly 83 days more remain if the current estimate of 92 trial days holds. Some hope to finish the trial before Christmas. Maybe, Anika, the bell ringer, or the presiding officer, might help speed things up. – Rappler.com Want to know what’s happening inside the impeachment courtroom that you won’t see on the livestream? Download the Rappler app and join the impeachment trial channel. How does this make you feel? Loading