Senate impeachment court lowers voting threshold to convict Sara Duterte
The Senate impeachment court has reduced the number of votes needed to convict in the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Thirteen senator-judges have voted in favor of Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo's appeal to revisit the 16-vote threshold to convict set by Presiding Officer Chiz Escudero amid the absence of some senators from the proceedings.
One voted in the negative, while six—senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Bong Go, Imee Marcos, Robin Padilla, and Camille Villar—did not participate.
The six minority members were no longer present in the Senate session hall when the trial resumed after the court dismissed Alan Peter Cayetano's request to defer action on the voting threshold (13-6-1). Only Sen. Mark Villar from the minority was seen in attendance.
With this, votes to convict or acquit will only come from senators who, at the time of the vote, remain "legally and factually capable of participating in proceedings." The remaining members will constitute the denominator from which the two-thirds will be computed.
Escudero also noted that members of the Senate under the following conditions will be excluded from the vote: "detained and/or suspended or otherwise legally restrained from exercising the functions of a senator, persons sought by authorities whose whereabouts are unknown, suffering from a physical or medical incapacity, beyond the coercive processes of the Senate, and others similarly situated."
The presiding officer, who gave the sole negative vote, said that the ruling is not binding on future impeachment proceedings. "This is a ruling, not an amendment of the rules," he said.
Furthermore, the impeachment court will determine whether a member falls under the five circumstances mentioned.
If the computation for two-thirds of senator-judges results in a fraction, the number of votes for conviction will be rounded up to the next highest whole number.
This comes after the impeachment court invited amici curiae, which consisted of four retired Supreme Court justices as friends of the court, to share their positions on the voting threshold.
