Lowering impeachment vote threshold may put pressure on senator-judges, says OVP spokesperson

Lowering the 16-vote requirement to convict Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial might allegedly expose senators to government "pressure," warned her newly appointed spokesperson, Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr.

Panelo raised this concern as the Senate impeachment court deliberated whether the two-thirds conviction threshold should remain fixed at 16 votes despite the absence of four senator-judges.

“Maaaring kapag ang denominator, itong 16, ay pwedeng babaan, iniimbitahan mo yung nasa poder, yung gobyerno natin, na targetin itong mga senador na aasahan nilang hindi boboto nang pabor sa gusto nila,” Panelo warned.

He questioned the circumstances keeping four senators from attending the proceedings, particularly those facing legal hurdles.

“Sino ba ang nagpakulong dun sa mga senador na hindi makapunta rito or hindi maka-attend? Bakit ba yung ibang senador ay hindi makaboto or hindi maka-participate?” he asked.

The statement came a day after four retired Supreme Court justices appeared as amici curiae to offer expert testimony on the constitutional voting requirement.

Retired Chief Justices Hilario Davide Jr., Artemio Panganiban, and Reynato Puno posited that the two-thirds requirement is not rigidly set at 16. In contrast, former Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna maintained that the conviction baseline must remain fixed.

While acknowledging the arguments of Davide, Panganiban, and Puno, Panelo stressed that a floating threshold creates a dangerous vulnerability.

“Meron pa rin bang saysay yung ganong opinion kung… yung gobyerno natin imamanipulate yung participation ng mga senador by filing cases against them or threatening to file cases against them?” Panelo countered.

Siding with Azcuna, Panelo argued that the constitutional phrase “all the members” strictly refers to all 24 sitting senators, making 16 votes the absolute minimum for conviction. Maintaining this high bar, he noted, prevents political factions from weaponizing impeachment against elected officials.

“Ito’y nagpapakita lang na mukhang hindi nila kayang i-convict si VP Sara doon sa inilagay ng Constitution na 16 votes for conviction. Mukhang mahihirapan silang kunin yung 16 kaya naghahanap sila ng paraan ngayon para pababain ito,” Panelo alleged.

Four senators are currently unable to participate in the Vice President's trial: Jinggoy Estrada, Rodante Marcoleta, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, and Loren Legarda. -Paraluman News