MANILA — Senator Francis Pangilinan is among the names being considered to preside over the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte as the Senate prepares to resume proceedings on July 6.

Senate President Pro Tempore Sherwin Gatchalian confirmed on Wednesday that discussions are ongoing on the proposal to assign a lawyer-senator to oversee the trial, an arrangement previously floated by former Senate President Vicente Sotto III.

Asked if Pangilinan was included in the options being considered, Gatchalian said the idea raised by Sotto is currently under discussion.

“Tama ka, sinabi ni Sen. Sotto ‘yun. At ‘yan ang kasalukuyang pinag-uusapan (You’re correct. Senator Sotto said that, and that is currently being discussed),” he said.

Gatchalian also said preparations for the impeachment proceedings are already underway, including the issuance of pretrial notices to both the prosecution and defense panels.

“Yes, I signed the notice for pretrial yesterday. So pinadala na namin ‘yan both to the defense and the prosecution team (We already sent that to both the defense and prosecution teams),” he said.

However, he stressed that no final decision has been reached on who will preside over the impeachment court, saying senators are still in the process of deliberation ahead of the trial’s scheduled start next month.