MANILA – Senator-judge Panfilo Lacson proposed several measures aimed at reducing delays in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, including requiring witnesses scheduled to testify within the week to remain on standby inside the Senate.

In a radio interview, Lacson said having witnesses readily available would allow the impeachment court to immediately proceed to the next testimony if the scheduled witness finishes early, helping maximize the limited hearing hours without affecting the integrity of the proceedings.

“One suggestion I made was that the defense and prosecution make sure their witnesses for one week are readily available in a holding room, so if we finish early with one witness, we can move to the next and not waste time,” he said.

“Speeding up the trial does not mean compromising the presentation of evidence. It means maximizing the limited time available to us,” he added.

Lacson noted that last Wednesday’s proceedings concluded ahead of schedule because the next witness, National Bureau of Investigation Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc, was not yet at the Senate. He warned that if the court continues hearing only one witness per week, the trial could extend beyond the Christmas season.

He said Senate President and impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero was receptive to the proposal.

“The Vice President is entitled to a speedy trial, just like any respondent in an ordinary court trial. So we must devise ways to speed it up,” Lacson said.

Lacson also said senator-judges may tackle during this week’s caucus the extent of questioning among members of the impeachment court, recalling that one exchange involving senator-judges consumed about an hour during the opening day of the trial.

He also suggested that concerns involving the conduct of senator-judges should be addressed internally instead of being aired publicly by impeachment court spokesperson Reginald Tongol.

According to Lacson, it would be more appropriate for Tongol to relay reminders through the presiding officer or the Senate President rather than issuing public admonitions.

“I could not imagine Supreme Court spokesperson Camille Ting telling the Supreme Court justices to read the Rules of Court. I hope what Tongol did will not happen again. If there are alleged indiscretions by individual senator-judges, we can discuss and address them among ourselves. Or the spokesperson can course the reminder to the presiding officer or Senate President,” he said.

Lacson also said the impeachment court should remain focused on the proceedings despite criticism on social media.

“Like I said, you cannot satisfy everybody. There will always be critics and bashers. But we cannot afford to be distracted by minor issues. We have to push through with the trial as we see fit,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lacson expressed hope that the issue of the voting threshold required for conviction would be resolved early in the proceedings.

He said uncertainty over the required number of votes could create legal complications if the impeachment court reaches a decision that is later overturned by the Supreme Court on the ground of grave abuse of discretion.

Lacson cited a hypothetical scenario in which the impeachment court adopts a lower voting threshold, allowing a conviction with only 14 votes, only for the Supreme Court to later rule that such a standard was unconstitutional.

“It is better that the issue be resolved this early and someone would bring it before the high court before we reach a decision, so we will be guided accordingly,” he said.