Senator Panfilo Lacson disputes the claim by Vice President Sara Duterte's spokesperson that the Senate spent P500 million on the impeachment trial, clarifying the actual expenses and urging correction of the misleading figures.
Senator Panfilo Lacson has called on the spokesperson of Vice President Sara Duterte to correct erroneous claims regarding the costs of the impeachment trial held in the Senate. The controversy arose after Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr., the VP’s spokesperson, stated that about P500 million of taxpayers’ money was consumed during the 20 trial days, based on an estimated P25 million per day in Senate operating costs attributed to the impeachment proceedings. Lacson questioned the validity of this estimate, clarifying that the national budget allocated only P27 million for the entire impeachment trial. Furthermore, he said approximately P2 million of this was spent on trial-specific expenses such as robes and other necessities. Lacson explained that the P25 million per day figure cited by Panelo likely reflects the Senate’s overall legislative functions operating expenses, not the impeachment trial itself. This calculation came from dividing the Senate’s annual Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses and Personnel Services by the number of legislative days when no legislation was passed, a context unrelated to the impeachment. Senate President Win Gatchalian also responded, calling Panelo’s P500 million claim untrue and stating that the entire Senate’s operating budget, which includes salaries, utilities, and maintenance, is spent regardless of impeachment trials. Gatchalian detailed that the direct expenses of the impeachment trial amounted to roughly P14.55 million over 44 days—averaging about P330,000 per day—covering items directly related to the trial like meals for personnel, supplies, overtime pay, and venue rentals. The dispute highlights the importance of careful and accurate accounting of public funds, especially concerning high-profile political proceedings. Lacson urged the VP’s spokesperson to rectify the misleading figure, assuming the error was unintentional.
Sources referenced:
- https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/1005965/lacson-refutes-vp-spokesperson-s-claim-on-impeachment-costs/story/