Minority senators skip impeachment threshold vote, except Senator Mark Villar

The Senate impeachment court on Wednesday overturned its earlier ruling requiring 16 votes to convict Vice President Sara Duterte, adopting a lower threshold that excludes senators who are physically or legally unable to sit as judges.

Under the new ruling, the constitutional requirement of a "two-thirds concurrence of all members" will apply only to senator-judges who are legally and factually capable of participating at the time of the final vote.

Thirteen senator-judges voted to lower the threshold: Vicente Sotto III, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Sherwin Gatchalian, Bam Aquino, JV Ejercito, Risa Hontiveros, Lito Lapid, Panfilo Lacson, Francis Pangilinan, Mark Villar, Raffy Tulfo, Erwin Tulfo, and Joel Villanueva.

Presiding Officer Francis "Chiz" Escudero was the lone vote against the motion.

The decision prompted a walkout by most of the Senate minority bloc. Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, Senator Pia Cayetano, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, Senator Imee Marcos, Senator Camille Villar, and Senator Robin Padilla abstained from the threshold vote.

Mark Villar was the sole minority senator to participate, voting in favor of lowering the requirement.

The boycott followed the court's 13–6 rejection of Alan Cayetano’s motion to defer deciding the vote count until the Supreme Court could weigh in. Go and Marcos were later seen on the Senate floor without their red impeachment robes, while Cayetano told reporters during a recess that his return depended on "what [would] be taken up."

The debate over the conviction threshold stemmed from the absence of four senators:

Senator Jinggoy Estrada and Senator Rodante Marcoleta, who are currently in detention over separate plunder and campaign donation cases;

Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, who remains at large following an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court; and

Senator Loren Legarda, who is on an extended medical leave abroad for a lung condition.

At the trial's opening on July 6, Escudero initially set the conviction mark at 16 votes based on the full 24-member chamber. Wednesday’s ruling effectively reduces that target by excluding the four absent members from the baseline count.

-Paraluman News