Barbers, Abante: Lower conviction threshold can’t be ‘weaponized’

MANILA, Philippines — House impeachment team adviser and spokesperson Ace Barbers and Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. on Friday rejected a warning from Vice President Sara Duterte’s camp that lowering the conviction threshold in her impeachment trial could allow the government to target senator-judges and influence the outcome.

Duterte spokesperson Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. had warned that excluding senators who are unable to participate from the denominator could give those in power an incentive to go after senators they expect to vote against their preferred outcome.

“If the denominator, this 16, can be lowered, you are inviting those in power, the government, to target those senators who they expect will not vote in favor of what they want,” Panelo said Wednesday.

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READ: Here’s what amici curiae say about the impeachment voting threshold

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Barbers dismissed the argument as speculative, saying criminal cases involving individual senators should be judged on their own facts and evidence rather than presumed to be part of a government effort to alter the impeachment vote.

““Just because Atty. Panelo said that does not necessarily mean it is the correct opinion. As Cong. Benny said, it is speculative,” Barbers said during an online press briefing.

He said the government should not automatically be blamed for cases faced by senator-judges, particularly if the accusations against them are supported by evidence and subject to judicial proceedings.

“So all these things are not fabricated. It’s as if the government is being blamed for these cases, as though they were made up against you,” Barbers said.

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He maintained that senators facing cases should answer the accusations through the legal process.

“Explain yourselves and face the case,” Barbers said.

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Abante likewise described Panelo’s scenario as speculative and said concerns over possible political manipulation should not prevent the Senate impeachment court from resolving the constitutional question before it.

“What Atty. Panelo mentioned would be more speculative than actually true,” Abante said.