House SecGen satisfied with Senate set-up for VP Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial

House Secretary General Reginald Velasco on Tuesday inspected the Senate premises ahead of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte later this year. 

In an interview, Velasco welcomed the preparations of his Senate counterparts, particularly the set-up for the impeachment trial proper. 

“We’re happy to see these facilities of the Senate where the trial will be held. This is exactly the venue where the last impeachment trial was held. This was the time of President PNoy Aquino and the trial of Chief Justice [Renato] Corona,” Velasco said, referring to the Senate plenary. 

“So this is our first visit here and we’re very happy with the set up. We have no comments, no complaints but we’re happy that the Senate is joining us, we are one in this forthcoming event,” he added. 

According to Velasco, the Senate has provided two rooms for the 11 congressmen, who will serve as the prosecutors in the trial, and their secretariat. 

Among the rooms that were initially designated to the House officials and staff is the Sen. Arturo Tolentino room. 

“We will have another meeting if we have additional requests,” he said, adding that the security details will be be discussed with their Senate counterparts later on. 

“We might have additional requirements for other staff or other people who will be important during the trial. But we will have an office also in the House of Representatives, some sort of a backroom operations. We will designate a room there where the secretariat and other House officials will be staying  for the duration of the trial,” he added. 

Apart from the rooms for prosecutors and their staff, Velasco said that they might also need a holding room for individuals who will appear as witnesses for the prosecution, which is roughly about 70 individuals.

“Kasi seven articles yun. Per article may witnesses yun. I dont really know [the exact number]. But siguro seven times, sabihin mo nang 10, so that’s about 70. But that’s a rough estimate. It could be more or less  per article,” he said. 

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero has tentatively set July 30 as the start of Duterte’s impeachment trial.

Duterte was impeached on February 5, with over 200 lawmakers endorsing the complaint. The Articles of Impeachment were transmitted to the Senate the same day, but the upper chamber adjourned without addressing the case. — BM, GMA Integrated News