A member of the House prosecution panel said Wednesday that they see no conflict between the resumption of Congress next week and the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

House prosecutor and 1-Rider Party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez said lawmakers are prepared to carry out both their legislative duties and their roles as prosecutors, pointing out that the prosecution panel has already been balancing trial work with its responsibilities as members of the House even while Congress was on recess.

“As it is, even before session, divided na rin po talaga ‘yung time ng prosecution (the time of the prosecution panel is already divided). We still have our constituents to serve. So, I think it should be very, very much manageable,” Gutierrez said during a press briefing.

He said he expects only minimal adjustments once lawmakers return to session.

“I think there won’t be that big adjustment. The only adjustment really would be ‘yung physical adjustment natin (our physical adjustment),” he said.

Congress will open its Second Regular Session on July 27, prompting a change in the Senate impeachment court’s schedule.

Instead of convening at 2 p.m., trial proceedings are expected to be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Monday to Wednesday to accommodate the House plenary session.

The revised schedule will not immediately take effect, however, as the impeachment court is set to meet only on Wednesday next week before resuming its regular Monday-to-Wednesday calendar.

Gutierrez said he does not expect the impeachment trial to interfere with the House’s legislative work.

“I don’t think so. Like I mentioned, as it stands, even before the session coming in, patuloy pa rin naman po ‘yung trabaho ng mga prosecutors (the prosecutors’ work continues) as congressmen. And I see it would be the same even with session resuming,” Gutierrez said.

He added that the return to regular session could actually simplify the prosecutors’ schedules, as they would no longer need to split as much of their time between the impeachment proceedings and travel to their respective districts.

Gutierrez also said the extent of the private prosecutors’ participation would depend on the prosecution’s legal strategy, rather than on whether the lawmaker-prosecutors had less time to handle the case.

Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V of La Union, meanwhile, said the House could carry out its legislative work while lawmakers involved in the impeachment continue attending the trial, although doing so may require longer working hours.

“Well, at least naman po medyo mas may flexibility kasi may schedule na. Kumbaga time management na lang po. But siguro makikita natin na medyo mag-o-overtime po ang House of Representatives lalo ‘pag nag-start na po ‘yung session (there is some sort of flexibility because there is already a schedule. Basically, it’s just time management. But we can see that the House of Representatives will be working overtime when the session starts),” Ortega said.

He added that the congressional recess had actually posed a greater scheduling challenge because lawmakers had to split their time between the impeachment proceedings and constituency work.

He said district offices remained operational throughout the break, allowing lawmakers to continue serving their constituents even if they had fewer opportunities to personally visit barangays and municipalities. (PNA)