Senator Gatchalian: Required votes to convict not yet an issue

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said that the number of votes required to convict Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial has not been formally raised as an issue within the impeachment court.

Speaking in an interview over DZMM on Saturday, Gatchalian said discussions about the required vote threshold have so far been confined to media reports and legal commentaries.

"Sa ngayon, hindi pa 'yung issue sa amin dito sa impeachment court dahil wala namang naglalabas na issue niyan. Lumalabas lang ito sa media, napag-uusapan lang ito ng iba't ibang abogado, iba't ibang legal luminaries. So opinion lang ang lumalabas for now," he said.

"But formally, in the impeachment court, hindi pa issue 'yan." The Senate is set to convene as an impeachment court on Monday for the start of Duterte's impeachment trial.

Gatchalian said senators used Friday's caucus to discuss preparations for the proceedings, including the physical setup of the impeachment court and security arrangements.

He said the Senate has completed its preparations and will release six sets of guidelines covering security, media movement, and the movement of senator-judges ahead of the trial.

The Senate has also begun uploading pre-trial orders and other impeachment-related documents to its website "in the spirit of transparency," he added.

Meanwhile, Senator Erwin Tulfo maintained that the Constitution still requires 16 votes to convict Duterte, regardless of ongoing discussions about whether the threshold should change due to the current number of sitting senators.

Speaking separately over DZMM, Tulfo said the issue should ultimately be resolved by the Supreme Court of the Philippines, but stressed that the constitutional requirement remains clear.

Tulfo said, "It has to be 16. It doesn't matter kung mabawasan kami, 20 na lang kami. It's still 16."

He said the Constitution explicitly provides the required number of votes. "Bakit mo babaguhin? Nakalagay 'yun doon."

Tulfo added that any reinterpretation should come from the Supreme Court rather than individual lawmakers. He also cautioned fellow senator-judges against making statements that could be construed as prejudging the impeachment case.

"If you keep on talking about the numbers, you're already showing na nasaan ka, saan ka papanig. As a senator-judge, dapat hindi ganoon," he cautioned.

Tulfo said senators should adhere to what is expressly stated in the Constitution and leave constitutional interpretation to the courts.