Photo courtesy of Ping Lacson/Facebook.
Senator Panfilo Lacson called on senator-judges to strictly observe the agreed two-minute limit for questioning during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Lacson said Saturday that sticking to the time cap was a matter of discipline and would help keep the proceedings orderly.
He said senator-judges should respect the rule once the allotted period had been set, rather than extend their questioning beyond the agreed limit.
Lacson also joked that the Senate employee assigned to signal the end of each senator-judge’s turn might need a louder bell or even a siren to make the reminder clearer.
Earlier in the week, Lacson observed the two-minute limit while questioning an auditor from the Commission on Audit during the impeachment proceedings.
When the bell sounded to mark the end of his time, Lacson stopped his questioning and returned to his seat.
Presiding officer Francis Escudero then urged him to continue, remarking that he had also wanted to hear more from the exchange.
Lacson maintained that following the agreed time limit was necessary to show discipline among senator-judges and avoid unnecessary delays in the trial.