Philippine Senate to Convene as Impeachment Court on May 18

Cayetano was elected Senate president on May 11 following a change in leadership. He issued a letter to House Speaker Bojie Dy directing the secretariat to include the articles of impeachment in the calendar for referral to the impeachment court. "Consistent with its mandate under Article 11, Section 3 of the Constitution, the secretariat has been directed to include the articles of impeachment in the calendar for ordinary business for referral to the impeachment court, which shall be convened on 18 May 2026, 3 pm, or at the possible soonest time, absent any question on the rules and procedure related to the transmitted articles," Cayetano said in the letter.

"We will follow (the Constitution), there will be no delays," Cayetano told reporters on May 14. The House of Representatives transmitted the articles of impeachment to the Senate on the evening of May 13. 39, this stage involves presentation of the articles and issuance of a writ of summons to the impeached official.

Cayetano said it is at the discretion of House prosecutors whether to appear in the Senate to present the articles. He added that the 13-member majority bloc has agreed there will be no further debate on forming the impeachment court.

Last year, the Senate engaged in extended debate before convening as an impeachment court in a prior case involving Duterte. The chamber ultimately returned the articles to the House of Representatives over constitutional concerns, leading to further delays.

The Supreme Court later ruled that impeachment unconstitutional, ending the process. Cayetano stated that all members of the current majority support proceeding with a trial this time. "I can tell you what was discussed. Everyone (all the 13) said we should have the trial, and there’s no one who said no," Cayetano said.

The House impeached Duterte on multiple constitutional grounds, including alleged misuse of public funds, bribery of government officials, unexplained wealth, and threats to the life of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Senate leadership change occurred less than 48 hours before the articles arrived.