Lawyers from the defense and prosecution cross-examine Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) Division Chief Rendell Sopeña on Day 30 of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial at the Senate in Pasay City on Monday, September 28, 2026. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
MANILA — The Senate Impeachment Court has cancelled the trial session for Wednesday, September 30.
The announcement was made through a notice posted on the Facebook page of Impeachment Spokesperson Atty. Reginald Tongol, Tuesday night.
Impeachment Clerk of Court and Senate Secretary Renato Bantug, Jr. confirmed the cancellation, as did Senate Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri.
The trial will resume on Thursday, October 1 at 10am. This is also the beginning of the whole-day trials.
Tongol explained that the cancellation of Wednesday's trial is a "deliberate Strategic Procedural Pause."
This is to "clear the floor so both panels can prepare for the grueling, whole-day (10:00 AM to 6:30 PM) marathon sessions running continuously from October 1 to 15."
"This pause gives all parties the critical breathing room needed to digest the highly technical, voluminous financial records incoming from the AMLC and the Registers of Deeds starting this Thursday," he added.
Tongol clarified that there is no delay in the proceedings.
"The Impeachment Court is not pausing because it is behind; it is pausing because the Court is aggressively ahead of schedule," he said.
"Since opening Article II on September 14, the proceedings have advanced at a rigorous pace, with the prosecution already presenting six witnesses in an eight-day span that demonstrates a clear commitment to moving the trial forward without unnecessary stalling through highly focused presentation of evidence," he added.
The Impeachment Court is currently hearing presentations regarding Article 2 or the alleged unexplained wealth of Vice President Sara Duterte.
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