Senate to fast track Corona trial

MANILA, Philippines—The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, is planning to hold morning and afternoon hearings starting next week to fast track the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona and come up with a decision before Congress goes on a month-long break on March 23.

“We will forgo the legislative session to finish this case,” Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile said after an all-party caucus of senators on Tuesday.

At present, the Senate holds its legislative work in the morning from Tuesday to Wednesday and the impeachment trial at 2:00 in the afternoon of Mondays to Thursdays.

If the prosecution and the defense panels would agree to the new schedule being proposed by the senators, Enrile said the Senate would start the trial at 9 a.m. to 12 noon and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. from Mondays to Thursdays.

Asked if the impeachment court could finish the trial before March 23, Enrile said, “Yes, because everybody wants to finish it before we go on a break.”

“We are trying to show to the people that as far as the Senate is concerned, the members of the Senate and the Senate itself are both willing to work overtime in order to satisfy the desire of the public to finish this case at the soonest possible time,” he said.