Joselito Malig

The defense and House prosecution panels cross-examine Atty. Jeremy Lotoc, Regional Director of the National Bureau of Investigation–Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (NBI-BARMM) and former chief of the NBI Cybercrime Division, as he takes the stand during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte at the Senate in Pasay City on Monday, July 13, 2026. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

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VP Sara Impeachment

Agatha Gregorio

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — The impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte was a lengthy one on Monday, running for around six hours.And according to impeachment court spokesperson Atty. Regie Tongol, it is possible that this would be a pattern for the next trial days based on what happens usually in courts. “Based on experiences in ordinary courts, ganito po talaga, especially kung medyo on a tight schedule tayo na 11 days lang ‘yung sa article 4. So talagang kailangan natin i-squeeze in. So as part of court management, of course, the presiding officer wants to accommodate all the requests. Kaya nung may nag-request din na senator-judge na to cut the cross-examination short, it was favorably ruled upon,” Tongol said at a press conference on Monday.“Pero hangga’t walang mag-motion to either party or a senator-judge na i-cut short ‘yung proceedings natin, we&#x27;ll continue on to the night,” Tongol added.Trial adjourned at 8:12 p.m. after Senator Migz Zubiri raised concerns on how senator-judges have been seated for hours and some parties have yet to eat dinner. Regarding grounds for adjournment in relation to this, Tongol said, “Usually magsa-state ‘yung movant ng just cause, reasonable grounds. Kunwari ‘yung length of time that we have already spent hearing the witness, ‘yung exigency of the case, kunwari may emergency na nangyari or pagod na ‘yung mga participants in the trial. So those are reasonable grounds naman considered by the presiding officer in granting the motion.”<div>AM INSTEAD OF PM TRIAL? </div>Senator-judges may consider moving the trial to the morning instead of the afternoon onwards after the president’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27, according to Tongol.But among factors for consideration would be the scheduled time for adjournment that would come with a trial in the morning.“I think it will be considered by the senators after the SONA… I think the concern between the Senate president and the presiding officer is how they will be able to manage the time. Because if the trial is in the morning, there will be an allocated exact time for it to finish. Because there will be a legislative agenda for the afternoon,” Tongol told reporters.“So if it is in the morning, I think the presiding officer does not want the trial to drag on ‘til the afternoon. Compared to if it is in the afternoon, it can drag to the wee hours of the morning,” Tongol added.As of now, the trial is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. from Monday to Wednesday.<div>ZULEIKA LOPEZ WAITING TO BE CALLED </div>Regarding Duterte’s Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez being present at the Senate, Tongol said she was simply waiting to be called on after being subpoenaed for the first two days of the week.“Opo, naghihintay po kung tatawagin po siya. Kaya lang po walang party po na nag-bring up ng matter na ‘yun… As to the Senate secretary po acting as a clerk of court, alam po namin ‘yun na she is here,” Tongol said. “I think the senator, judges, and even the presiding officer expect Attorney Zuleika&#x27;s testimony to go on tomorrow. I think the House prosecutors as well, they have been communicating to the public that they are ready to conduct their presentation of Attorney Zuleika Lopez, even insinuating declaration of her being a hostile witness,” Tongol also said.<div>LACSON WAS ‘ABSOLUTELY RIGHT’</div>The impeachment court spokesperson also addressed Senator Panfilo Lacson’s statement on how Tongol should refrain from publicly reminding senator-judges on commenting on the case’s merits. <div><a class="fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/11/threshold-issue-should-be-settled-early-lacson-says-0952">Threshold issue should be settled early, Lacson says</a></div>“Based on the transcript of that briefing, my explicit response was, quote, ‘Hindi ko po sinasabing may paglabag si Senator-judge Robin’… I said that making such a determination is entirely outside my mandate and beyond my pay grade. My role as spokesperson is to explain the mechanics of the sub judice rule under Rule 18 as a general concept, not to make any determination of violation by any senator. As a lawyer, I also know Article 6, Section 16 of the Constitution, along with the Senate rules and the Supreme Court decisions, that the power to discipline belongs exclusively to the Senate as a collegial body,” Tongol said. “Senator Lacson, being a seasoned statesman that he is, was absolutely right to publicly reinforce that boundary and hierarchy. I appreciate his wisdom and guidance,” Tongol added.Tongol said he spoke with Lacson prior to the press conference, and mentioned he will be thanking the senator for his statement.

The impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte was a lengthy one on Monday, running for around six hours.

The impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte was a lengthy one on Monday, running for around six hours.

‘Ganito po talaga’: Impeachment court spox says trial may continue ‘on to the night’

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‘Ganito po talaga’: Impeachment court spox says trial may continue ‘on to the night’

Agatha Gregorio,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 13, 2026 11:43 PM PHT

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