Senate uploads Sara Duterte impeachment trial records for public access

The Senate has begun publishing documents and filings related to the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on its official website, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said on Sunday.

Gatchalian said that all documents and evidence presented during the trial are being uploaded to the Senate website to ensure the public has direct access to official records.

"We will ensure that all documents and evidence are available for public viewing because these have already been uploaded to the Senate website," Gatchalian said in a statement.

He said the online repository would enable the public to verify the evidence for themselves instead of relying solely on information circulating on social media.

"We invite the public to scrutinize, read, and understand the proceedings for themselves. We realize that while we, at the upper chamber, sit as senator-judges, the ultimate judges of this impeachment proceeding are the Filipino people," he said.

According to Gatchalian, he has instructed the Senate Secretariat to provide the necessary resources to upload pleadings, evidence, and other documents as quickly and efficiently as they are introduced during the trial.

He said public access to the records is an important safeguard that helps protect the institutional integrity of the Senate as it exercises its constitutional duty as an impeachment court.

The Senate impeachment court formally convened earlier this month to hear the case against Duterte after the House of Representatives transmitted the Articles of Impeachment.

The proceedings have since entered the presentation of evidence and witnesses, with both the House prosecution panel and the Vice President's defense team filing various motions before the court.— MCG, GMA News