MANILA — The Senate has at least P26 million in available funds that could be used should an impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte proceed, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said Tuesday.

Lacson, who chairs the Senate Committee on Accounts, said the amount is part of the P27 million allocated under the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), with only around P500,000 reportedly spent when the impeachment articles were first transmitted to the chamber in February last year.

“Since the fund is good for two years under ‘continuing appropriations,’ [the] Senate is financially able and ready to conduct the trial if and when the articles of impeachment are transmitted,” Lacson said.

The Senate previously received articles of impeachment against Duterte in February 2025, endorsed by more than 200 members of the House of Representatives. However, the upper chamber later voted to archive the complaint following a Supreme Court ruling that declared the impeachment unconstitutional.

Despite this, impeachment proceedings against Duterte have been revived in the House of Representatives, where the Committee on Justice is conducting hearings on new complaints filed against the Vice President.

Duterte has repeatedly maintained that the complaints against her lack sufficient evidence and should be dismissed.

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, for his part, said preparations for a possible trial do not require new regalia for senator-judges.

“The ones they had last year will do,” Sotto said.

Sotto, who is expected to preside over a potential impeachment court, said the Senate is prepared to act “forthwith” should new articles of impeachment be transmitted from the House.