MANILA, Philippines -- Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday said he was not sure whether the minority bloc would boycott the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
The Senate, sitting as Impeachment Court, will start on July 6 the trial of Duterte, the first vice president to undergo such proceedings.
The senator said it was not certain whether Duterte herself would appear. "We were monitoring this morning. We haven't received any word yet [whether she will show up]," Gatchalian said in Filipino and English.
The 24 senators will serve as judges with Gatchalian to act as the presiding officer.
"I'm not sure of such possibility [boycott of the minority]. But I'm encouraging our senator-judges to attend," Gatchalian said in Filipino and English.
"It is our constitutional duty and the people were waiting for this [trial] to start and so that we would be able to return to our normal responsibilities," he added.
Gatchalian, however, said minority Senators Loren Legarda and Robinhood Padilla have expressed their commitment to participate in the trial.
The Senate needs to resume its investigation on the flood control budget scandal and discuss the proposed 2027 national budget.
"These are the things that we need to tackle in the next few months," Gatchalian said.