Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano has instructed Senate Secretary Atty. Jose Luis Montales to ensure that the impeachment trial calendar proceeds unimpeded.
In a letter dated June 7, 2026, Cayetano directed Montales to initiate discussions with Atty. Renato Bantug Jr., the Gatchalian bloc’s purported Senate Secretary, for possible interim administrative arrangements that would allow the Senate Impeachment Court to continue functioning without delay.
Under the approved calendar, the impeachment court is scheduled to issue the Notice of Pre-Trial tomorrow, June 9, signalling the start of the pre-trial proceedings.
Cayetano emphasized that while he maintains the June 3 reorganization was illegal in a “substantial and unmistakable” way, the controversy should not be allowed to paralyze the Senate and delay the impeachment proceedings.
“Pending resolution [by the Supreme Court], it is imperative that the resulting legal and political dispute not be allowed to unnecessarily disrupt the operations of the Senate, impair the work of the Impeachment Court, or diminish the institution’s ability to discharge its constitutional responsibilities,” he said.
Complying with the Senate President’s directive, Montales wrote Bantug on June 8 to request a meeting “to discuss a possible way forward that may preserve the continuity of institutional operations and allow the impeachment proceedings to move forward in an orderly manner.”
One possible interim arrangement raised in the letters is a dual-signatory or joint-certification mechanism for vouchers, checks, disbursements, contracts, personnel actions, and other documents necessary for the continued operations of the Senate and the Impeachment Court.
Under the proposed mechanism, documents requiring approval or certification may, where practicable, bear the signatures of the officials presently exercising the relevant functions and those asserting authority to perform the same functions.
Cayetano made clear that the proposed mechanism will be issued “solely as a practical and institutional measure” in order to ensure continuity of the Senate’s Constitutional duty during an “extraordinary situation.”
He added that possible interim arrangements must protect Senate employees from being placed in an “untenable position”.
“They should not be subjected to pressure arising from matters beyond their duties and competence to determine. Public servants who have faithfully served this institution for many years should not become collateral casualties or unwilling instruments in a legal and political conflict not of their making,” he said.