Barbers: Prosecution relying on evidence, not new voting threshold

MANILA, Philippines — The House prosecution is relying on its evidence to convict Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial — not a modified voting threshold, former Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, House prosecution adviser and spokesperson, said on Wednesday.

Barbers stressed that point during a post-trial news briefing after being asked about Senator-Judge Imee Marcos’ argument during the proceedings that the “finish line” should not be moved simply because the race had become difficult to finish.

“Right from the start of this trial, we have never relied on numbers,” Barbers said in Filipino.

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READ: Barbers: Prosecution relying on evidence, not lower voting threshold

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“That can be 16, 15, 14, 13. Whatever the number is, we are confident in our evidence — that our witnesses will present evidence to support the allegations in the four articles that we have submitted to the impeachment court,” he added.

According to Barbers, the prosecution hopes senator-judges will ultimately decide the case based on the evidence presented during the trial.

“Let the evidence speak,” he stressed.

Earlier, the Senate impeachment court overturned the fixed 16-vote threshold for convicting Duterte, ruling that the constitutional requirement of two-thirds of all Senate members should be applied based on the number of senator-judges participating in the proceedings.

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READ: Diokno: Prosec’s job not easier despite conviction vote ruling

The court voted 13-1, with six senator-judges not participating, to reverse Presiding Officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero’s July 6 ruling that 16 votes, or two-thirds of the full 24-member Senate, would be needed to convict Duterte.

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“So again, we’re confident that we can surely, at the end of this trial, we are very confident that we can get a conviction based on the evidence and testimonies of our witnesses,” Barbers said. /atm