Senators and officials are disputing reported spending figures related to the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson says the Senate still has about P11 million of the allocated budget remaining for the trial, which he says is sufficient for the rest of the proceedings. He also calls for correction of what he describes as misleading cost estimates from the Vice President’s camp.
According to reporting, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian rejects a claim that the trial costs the Senate P25 million per day, saying the figure actually refers to the chamber’s overall operating costs. Gatchalian says expenses directly attributable to the trial totaled about P14.55 million over 44 trial days, or roughly P330,000 per day. Lacson similarly disputes an estimate of P500 million, arguing that the General Appropriations Act allotted only about P27 million for the trial and that the higher per-day calculation is based on Senate functions rather than trial expenses.
The outlets agree on the broad dispute: different groups present different cost figures, with Senate leaders emphasizing trial-specific costs and remaining budget, while the Vice President’s camp is linked to higher estimates that Lacson says lack a proper basis.
