Manila: The withdrawal of around six prosecution witnesses could cut as many as 12 hearing days from Article 4 of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial, although the entire proceeding may still stretch to about 102 days. Impeachment court spokesperson Reginald Tongol said Thursday the initial schedule assumed that each witness could occupy about two trial days.

According to Philippines News Agency, Tongol mentioned that this reduction in witnesses means "12 days out of the expected 20 days" could be saved from the prosecution's presentation under Article 4. Originally, the prosecution had planned for 11 hearing days for about 10 witnesses, with an extra day set aside for potential delays. However, based on the trial's current pace, calling all the witnesses might have taken about 20 days.

The shorter witness list doesn't necessarily mean the full impeachment trial will conclude earlier, as the prosecution might utilize the saved time for other articles, reserve witnesses, or additional evidence. Tongol explained, "Yung na-save nating ilang araw (The days saved) can be used for other witnesses, for other articles, or other matters that the court will consider."

Additional sessions could be consumed by motions, objections, questioning by senator-judges, and legal debates, Tongol added. In a separate radio interview, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian stated that his estimate placed the possible length of the trial at around 102 hearing days, with only six days completed so far. "Nasa six na araw pa lang tayo. So medyo malayo-layo pa (We are only on the sixth day, so there is still a long way to go)," Gatchalian said.

Tongol emphasized that it is too early to determine whether the days saved under Article 4 would ultimately shorten the entire trial. He pointed out the prolonged debate over subpoenas for bank, tax, and Anti-Money Laundering Council records as an example of how unforeseen legal questions could extend the proceedings.

House lead prosecutor Gerville 'Jinky Bitrics' Luistro of Batangas expressed her hope that the trial would conclude before Christmas. "Ako (Me), I am personally aiming before Christmas para masaya ang Pasko natin lahat (so we will all be happy on Christmas)," she said Wednesday after the sixth day of the trial. Luistro's remarks came in response to questions about the prosecution's assessment of when the proceedings might conclude after reducing the number of witnesses under Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment.

She mentioned that the prosecution is reviewing its witness lists for the three remaining articles, noting that ongoing developments during the trial could still prompt the withdrawal of some witnesses or the presentation of additional ones. The impeachment court is scheduled to resume sessions next week, with the prosecution continuing its presentation of evidence before moving to the other articles.