Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial preparations underway

Preparations are underway for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. House Secretary General Reginald Velasco visited the Senate on Tuesday to inspect the facilities. He was joined by fellow House members and Senate Secretary Renato Bantug. During the visit, Bantug showed Velasco the Senate plenary hall, which will be used for the trial scheduled in July. He pointed out that this setup is similar to what was used in the previous impeachment trial of a chief justice. Velasco noted the importance of the venue for the trial and mentioned that they need two rooms for the 11 prosecutors and their support staff. He confirmed that they plan to finalize their requests and send them to Senate President Francis Escudero by next week. On February 5, the House voted to impeach Duterte with over 200 signatures. The articles of impeachment were sent to the Senate, but the chamber has yet to review them. Escudero stated that the trial will begin after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s Fourth State of the Nation Address in July.