Sara Duterte impeachment trial Day 6: What to expect

After days of witness presentation, the Senate impeachment court on Wednesday, July 15, will hold oral arguments on the House prosecution panel’s request to subpoena the tax records of Vice President Sara Duterte, her husband Mans Carpio, and businesses linked to them.

According to Impeachment Court spokesperson Regie Tongol, both parties will present their main position on the tax records.

“Pag nasabi na po ng dalawang primary speakers 'yung kanilang position, babalik po doon sa prosecution para naman i-rebutt 'yung sinabi naman ng depensa,” Tongol said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

(Once the two primary speakers have presented their positions, the proceedings will return to the prosecution to rebut the defense's arguments.)

Tongol said the House prosecution panel and Duterte’s defense team will be allowed 15 minutes to argue their main position and 10 minutes for rebuttal.

After this, the impeachment court will hold a caucus.

“Only after the caucus will the senator judges [be] allowed to argue or even ask questions regarding the issue,” Tongol said.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Senator-judge Alan Peter Cayetano and House prosecutor Lorenz Defensor moved that the time be increased to 15 minutes for oral arguments for each side and a 10-minute rebuttal.

They also moved for senator-judges to be given 10 minutes each, for a maximum of one hour for each side, based on Rule XIX of the Senate Rules of Impeachment.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian joined the motion of Senator-judge Alan Cayetano to conduct a caucus after the oral arguments.

“[A]fter the caucus, that's the time they will determine amongst themselves if they will go with the presiding officer's time limitation imposition or they will have to extend or shorten it for the senator judges themselves,” he said.

The prosecution initially planned to present Zuleika Lopez, Duterte’s close aide and chief of staff, as a witness on Tuesday’s hearing.

However, private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan said they will no longer present Lopez and House of Representatives security official Captain Belinda Bello.

Meanwhile, both parties concluded their examination of witness National Bureau of Investigation Bangsamoro Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc. —AOL, GMA News