Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano has formally notified members of the Upper Chamber that the Senate will convene as an impeachment court on Monday, May 18, at 3 p.m.
In a letter sent to the offices of all 23 senators, Cayetano urged them to be present at the session hall and to prepare to don their robes in accordance with the Senate’s Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Trials.
“You are accordingly requested to be present at the Session Hall on the said date and time. In observance of the solemnity of the proceedings and pursuant to the Senate’s Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Trials, all senator-judges are enjoined to wear their robes upon the convening of the Impeachment Court,” Cayetano wrote.
He emphasized that their presence and cooperation are essential to the proper and orderly conduct of the proceedings.
Cayetano earlier assured the public that the Senate is ready to fulfill its constitutional duty and will not delay the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
He said the chamber would convene “forthwith” upon receipt of the Articles of Impeachment from the House of Representatives, which were transmitted on May 13.
The Senate leader also noted that he had already spoken with majority members, who agreed that the rules used in past impeachment trials would apply to Monday’s proceedings.
“Whoever is plotting the narrative that the leadership was changed to delay the impeachment, it is absolutely not true,” Cayetano stressed.
Despite Cayetano’s assurance, talks of another possible Senate coup continue to swirl just a week after his election as Senate president. (Hannah Torregoza)
