Sara Duterte's impeachment trial may conclude before December, says Senate President

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri expressed optimism that Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial could conclude before December, citing the prosecution's decision to drop 15 witnesses as a factor that could expedite the proceedings. In an ambush interview at the Senate on Wednesday, Zubiri said, "The timetable that we see, hopefully, before December, everything is finished." He added, "Hopefully, okay? That there would be a verdict, a verdict, a verdict." Zubiri stressed that this still depends on the witnesses that the defense will present after the prosecution finishes tackling all four Articles of Impeachment. However, he noted that the defense has already lessened the number of witnesses they planned to present. Meanwhile, Senate finance committee chair Senator JV Ejercito said he wanted to get the trial done as soon as possible to allow more time for the budget hearings. "I hope the trial progresses faster so we can get back to normal. Because we have so many things to fix. A lot of problems. The political divide is affecting the way that the country is being run," Ejercito said. The prosecution panel dropped the 15 witnesses in Article 1 of the Articles of Impeachment, hoping to replace them with Duterte instead. Senators have previously lamented the prolonged time that the impeachment trial was taking away from other legislative matters. — VDV, GMA News