Senator-judges in maroon robes gather at the Senate plenary hall in Pasay City —Inquirer photo/Niño Jesus Orbeta
MANILA, Philippines — Members of the prosecution panel for the impeachment trial have made it clear that they will not go to the Supreme Court (SC) to raise the issue of the vote threshold needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte, but at the same time noted that other groups are free to do so.
In various interviews on Monday, prosecution panel members Atty. Jay Tolosa and San Juan Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora, along with spokesperson and former Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, stressed that the team is not entertaining the idea of pushing to lower the threshold.
Article XI, Section 3(6) of the 1987 Constitution states that a person being tried by the impeachment court cannot be convicted “without the concurrence of two-thirds of all the Members of the Senate,” which means that 16 out of 24 votes are needed. However, there are proposals to lower the number now that two senators are outside of the chamber’s reach.
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