Philippine VP Duterte Impeachment: Supreme Court Junks Challenge To Senate Voting Threshold

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The Philippine Supreme Court (SC) dismissed on Wednesday petitions challenging the Senate Impeachment Court's interpretation of the two-thirds vote required to convict Vice President Sara Duterte and remove her from office.

In an en banc session, the SC said the phrase“all the Members of the Senate” under the Philippine Constitution refers only to senators who are legally and actually able to participate in the impeachment proceedings at the time of the vote.

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The Senate Impeachment Court ruled on September 23 that the threshold to convict the vice president may be adjusted depending on the number of senator-judges actually present during the voting on her guilt or innocence. It ruled that only senator-judges able to participate in the trial should be counted when determining the threshold for conviction.

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Four of the 24 senator-judges have been unable to participate in the proceedings and cannot vote. This means, prosecutors now need only 14 votes instead of 16 to gain a conviction.

The SC dismissed the petitions challenging the impeachment court's ruling on procedural grounds, including“lack of standing and prematurity.”

Duterte is being accused of four offenses that include grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his family, unexplained wealth, corruption, and culpable violation of the Philippine Constitution.

If voted guilty on any of the counts, she will be removed from office and barred from participating in any elections in the future.

A former Marcos ally, Duterte had a falling out with her former running mate in 2024 and announced earlier this year her plans to seek the presidency. Duterte is regarded as the biggest presidential timber in the country's next national elections in May 2028.

The feud between the country's top leaders has given the Philippines its worst political crisis, which has included the arrest of at least two senators allied with the vice president, Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcolet, on separate charges of plunder.

Another senator, Ronald dela Rosa, is in hiding after the Marcos government agreed to implement the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for his role in the war against drugs implemented during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, the vice president's father. The Duterte patriarch is in detention at the ICC Detention Centre in The Hague, The Netherlands, awaiting trial for three counts of crimes against humanity, involving thousands of deaths.

Senator Loren Legarda, allied with the Senate minority, travelled to France after the Marcos government announced the filing of charges against her and her son, Rep. Leandro Leviste, in connection with a multi-billion-peso solar energy project. Legarda said she is on medical leave.

Political observers said Duterte is left with only five senator-judges against 14 who are seen to favor her conviction. Duterte's defence lawyers are now expected to work harder in open court to keep her in office as the impeachment trial against her enters its third month.

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