MANILA – Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian on Sunday said he is prepared to serve as presiding officer in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, with the Senate continuing its preparations ahead of the start of proceedings on July 6.

In an interview, Gatchalian said he has been consulting legal experts and individuals with experience in impeachment cases while also reviewing the evidence submitted by the House prosecution panel.

“Handa na tayo at patuloy pa tayong naghahanda. Katulad ng sinabi ko marami tayong kinukunsultang mga legal experts, kinukunsulta rin natin ‘yung mga dating may experience na sa impeachment proceedings,” Gatchalian said.

He said his experience in conducting Senate hearings and handling parliamentary procedures would help him perform his role as presiding officer.

“Ako rin ay pinaghahandaan ko rin yung kaso itself, may apat na articles at pinag-aaralan natin ‘yung mga isinumite ng prosecution pagdating sa mga ebidensya,” he said.

Gatchalian added that he has also been reviewing the 2012 impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona to familiarize himself with the proceedings.

“Of course pinag-aaralan din natin yung procedures. Ilang araw ko na pinapanood rin ‘yung Corona trial nung 2012 dahil marami kang makikitang mga takbo, kung paano ang takbo ng impeachment,” he said.

He said much of the logistical preparation for the trial is being handled by the Office of the Clerk of the Impeachment Court led by Atty. Rey Bantug Jr.

Responding to questions on whether the presiding officer should be a lawyer, Gatchalian said impeachment proceedings are political in nature and that the Senate rules designate the Senate President to preside.

“Largely ito ay isang political exercise dahil ang ating nililitis ay isang politician at ‘yung mga hukom ay mga senador na hindi naman lahat may legal background pero lahat ay capable,” he said.

“Nakasaad sa rules natin na Senate President ang tatayong presiding officer so ‘yun ang ating direksyon ngayon,” he added.

According to Gatchalian, the Senate impeachment court is expected to issue a pretrial order on June 29 summarizing matters discussed during the pretrial conference. Both the prosecution and defense panels will have three days to submit their comments before final preparations for the trial begin.

He also said the Senate is conducting security dry runs and preparing the physical layout of the impeachment court, with the setup expected to be completed by June 30.

Gatchalian reiterated that the impeachment trial will begin on July 6 as scheduled despite the tight timetable.

“Sigurado na on July 6, aminado naman kami na very tight ang schedule. Pero pipilitin natin na matapos lahat ng mga preliminaries,” he said.

The Senate President estimated that the trial could take seven to eight months to conclude.

“Actually sa tantsa namin mga seven to eight months ang impeachment trial. So kung mag-uumpisa tayo ng July baka next February na tayo matatapos,” Gatchalian said.

“Kaya pinag-aaralan din namin kung paano mapabilis ‘yung impeachment trial dahil hindi lang naman impeachment trial ang ginagawa ng senado meron pa tayong mga panukalang batas na pag-uusapan,” he added.

He noted that the Senate also needs to deliberate on around 50 Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) priority bills and prepare for budget hearings in August while conducting the impeachment proceedings.

The Senate impeachment court is scheduled to convene three times a week, from Monday to Wednesday.

Gatchalian said he plans to consult both the prosecution and defense on ways to shorten the trial, including presenting multiple witnesses in a single hearing or reducing the number of witnesses.

“Kung meron pang mga, let’s say, testigo na pwedeng gawin sa isang araw or paiksiin na lang ‘yung bilang ng testigo. Hihingi kami ng konsultasyon sa pagitan ng prosecution at defense,” he said.

Asked about voting requirements should senators be absent during the trial, including the suspension of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and the absence of Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Gatchalian said he personally believes the Constitution’s requirement of a two-thirds vote of all Senate members should be followed.

“Ako personally ang lagi kong prinsipyo ay laging sundan kung ano ‘yung nakasaad sa ating Saligang Batas at nakasulat sa ating Saligang Batas, malinaw na two-thirds of all members at ‘yun ang aking, personally, ‘yung ang aking prinsipyo na sundan,” he said.

He added that the issue can be resolved if it is formally raised by either the prosecution or defense during the impeachment proceedings.