Rowegie Abanto

The Senate impeachment court. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File

Commission on Audit (COA) Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office Supervising Auditor Xylene May del Campo answers questions from defense lawyer Atty. Kristine Ferrer during the cross-examination on the 15th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte at the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2026.
The cross-examination focused on COA’s findings related to the disbursement and utilization of confidential and intelligence funds.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

VP Sara Impeachment - Day 15

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 960px; display: block;" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178841689629520260812-senate-impeachment-day15-xylene-del-campo-MT17.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align: left;">The Senate impeachment court. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span>MANILA &mdash; The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte may continue into 2027 due to a &quot;tight&quot; schedule, Senate court spokesperson Reginald Tongol said Thursday.</div><p>The prosecution has so far finished tackling the grave threats accusation against Duterte and is completing discussions on her alleged misuse of multimillion-peso confidential funds.</p><p>The panel is also <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/9/2/prosecution-mulls-dropping-bribery-impeachment-article-to-shorten-trial-1356">mulling dropping the bribery allegations</a> against the vice president and going straight to presenting its arguments on her supposed unexplained wealth.</p><p>If the prosecution panel can wrap up its entire presentation in October, when proceedings are <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/9/2/duterte-impeachment-trial-to-hold-whole-day-sessions-in-october-amid-budget-deliberations-1608">expected to run the whole day</a>, the defense would not have enough trial dates in November to present their 17 or so witnesses.</p><p>&quot;Kung sa Nobyembre morning sessions lang tayo, then at most one or pilit na &#39;yung two witnesses na maisalang at maitapos for the defense. So kulang &#39;yon,&quot; he said.</p><p>(If we only hold morning sessions in November, then at most one defense witness &mdash; two will be pushing it &mdash; can be presented a day. That is too tight.)&nbsp;</p><p>The limited trial dates in November are due to the Senate&#39;s plenary deliberations on the proposed national budget, which are expected to stretch past midnight.</p><p>Tongol said the impeachment court would conduct around nine hearings in December, and the Senate would go on a break by December 19.</p><p>&quot;Nine days lamang ang magiging hearing naman natin sa Disyembre so medyo tight,&quot; he said.</p><p>(We will only have nine hearing days in December, so that is a little tight.)</p><p>Given the limited trial days toward the end of 2026, Tongol agreed that there is a possibility that the defense would still be presenting counterarguments in the new year.</p><p>Asked about suggestions of conducting the trial almost daily, Tongol cautioned that senator-judges and their staff could be pushed to their limits, as he noted that the Senate is also holding deliberations for 2027 national budget.</p><p>The efforts to hasten the trial came following worries of waning public interest in the impeachment proceedings.</p><p>In July, House lead prosecutor Gerville Luistro of Batangas said she <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/16/-para-masaya-ang-pasko-luistro-hopes-vp-sara-trial-ends-before-christmas-1148">hopes</a> that the trial would end before Christmas.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS:</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cBBWmwLzFms?&wmode=opaque&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6pkVR8pA59g?&wmode=opaque&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br></div>

<p>The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte may continue into 2027 due to a "tight" schedule, Senate court spokesperson Reginald Tongol said Thursday.</p>

The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte may continue into 2027 due to a "tight" schedule, Senate court spokesperson Reginald Tongol said Thursday.

Sara Duterte trial may continue into 2027, impeachment court spox says

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Sara Duterte trial may continue into 2027, impeachment court spox says

Rowegie Abanto,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 03, 2026 02:45 PM PHT

Read More:

Sara Duterte

Impeachment Trial

Senate Trial

Sara Duterte Trial

Senate

Impeachment

Reginald Tongol

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