Impeachment court halts proceedings over witness order dispute

MANILA — The impeachment court halted proceedings Thursday morning after the defense panel raised objections to a prosecution request to alter the witness schedule. The prosecution, led by Bicol party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, sought to present forensic financial analyst and lawyer Alexander Cabrera ahead of a Bureau of Internal Revenue official originally scheduled to testify. The defense contested the proposed change, prompting the court to suspend the hearing. The dispute underscores ongoing tensions between the prosecution and defense teams over procedural matters as the high-profile impeachment case continues. No immediate announcement was made regarding when hearings would resume or how the witness scheduling issue would be resolved.