Cayetano denies leadership change meant to delay VP Sara trial

Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday rejected claims that recent leadership changes in the chamber were intended to delay impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte, calling such assertions “absolutely not true.”

“Kung sinuman ang nagpapakana ng narrative na kaya nagpalit ng leadership para i-delay ang impeachment, it is absolutely not true,” Cayetano said in a Facebook Live this afternoon.

(Whoever is pushing the narrative that the leadership change was meant to delay the impeachment, that is absolutely not true.)

He maintained that the Senate has been acting in accordance with its constitutional mandate, stressing that the chamber has already begun processing the complaint and will proceed as scheduled.

Cayetano said the Senate received the articles of impeachment on May 13 and immediately initiated formal steps, including notifying lawmakers and communicating with the House of Representatives.

“The Senate has taken proper order of the impeachment and shall immediately proceed to its consideration,” he said.

He added that the Senate will convene as an impeachment court on May 18 at 3 p.m., with senators expected to sit as judges in the proceedings.

Cayetano also noted that most senators have already received copies of the impeachment articles, describing the process as orderly and in line with established rules.

He stressed that developments outside formal Senate proceedings should not be taken as indicators of disorder within the institution.

“Hindi magulo ang Senado,” Cayetano said, adding that official sessions have remained orderly and substantive.

(The Senate is not in disarray.)

He said the Senate would need to manage both the impeachment process and legislative work addressing economic issues.

Cayetano then acknowledged that impeachment trials can take months, noting that even past cases with fewer articles took significant time to complete.

“Even one article of impeachment… takes three to four months,” he said.

He said the Senate is reviewing possible hearing schedules, including full-day sessions, to ensure progress while maintaining due process. —LDF, GMA News