Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said that one of the biggest challenges in preparing for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte is logistics due to the limited space in the Senate.
According to Gatchalian, the Senate building is small, and both the House prosecution panel and the defense team are requesting their own holding or huddle rooms, media rooms, and staff rooms. Similarly, the needs of the senators as judges in the trial must also be accommodated.
Because of this, it is expected that the trial of the Vice President will be cramped and that movement of people will be challenging. The Senate President also pointed out the need to focus on security, especially since the trial will be open to the public.
Following this, Gatchalian said they have already met with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), and even the local government of Pasay City to ensure that everyone is ready for the impeachment proceedings.
In addition, he clarified that there are already over 20 members of the Philippine Marines deployed at the Senate, so coordination with all involved agencies is important.
Explaining further, the Senate President noted that Duterte is a known and high-ranking government official, so it is necessary to ensure adequate security throughout the entire trial process, especially since there are also threats against the institution.
Meanwhile, there is no specific figure on how much the impeachment trial of the Vice President will cost, but Gatchalian assured that it will be minimal because it will only be held at the Senate. The only additional expense will be for increased security to ensure that the trial process for Duterte is safe.
