Ridon: Only impeachment court can decide Duterte trial vote threshold

MANILA, Philippines — Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon on Saturday said only the impeachment court can decide on the number of votes needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte in the impeachment trial.

Ridon was asked if the threshold should be lowered amid the nonattendance of some senator-judges at the impeachment trial. Article XI, Section 3 of the 1987 Constitution states that “[n]o person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of all the members of the Senate,” or at least 16 of the 24 senators.

READ: Escudero maintains: 16 votes needed to convict Sara Duterte

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“Yung pagtingin naman po namin dyan ay sa dulo, it is not for the prosecution or defense to determine the threshold. It is for them. It is for the senator-judges to make that determination,” he said during the Saturday News Forum. 

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(Our perspective on that is in the end, it is not for the prosecution or defense to determine the threshold. It is for them. It is for the senator-judges to make that determination.)

Ridon then said that the threshold of 16 is not absolute under the Constitution.

“Ang nakalagay po sa 16, 2/3 of all senators. So whatever that particular provisional means, it will be up for the senator-judges to decide,” Ridon added. 

(It says 16 for the 2/3 of all senators. So whatever that particular provisional means, it will be up for the senator-judges to decide.)

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Senator Francis Escudero, who serves as the presiding officer of the impeachment court of the trial, earlier maintained that at least 16 votes are still needed from the senator-judges to secure Duterte’s conviction. 

Escudero made this statement on the first day of the trial as three senators are currently unavailable to participate in the proceedings, as Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa is in hiding amid an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, and Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta who were arrested over plunder charges. 

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READ: Prosecution open to longer hours, Friday hearings

Further, when asked if the prosecution panel was planning to bring before the Supreme Court the matter of threshold of votes needed to decide on the fate of the trial, he once again left it up to the senator-judges.

“Sa dulo’t dulo naman, it is their decision on the threshold which may be opportunity for any party to actually go to Supreme Court. So iniiwan po namin iyan sa mga senator-judges,” he added. 

(In the end, it is their decision on the threshold which may be opportunity for any party to actually go to Supreme Court. So we leave it up to the senator-judges.)

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Meanwhile, the lawmaker said that the non-appearance of some senator-judges will not affect the trial itself. He noted that it won’t have any impact on the proceedings as long as there is a quorum to conduct the trial. /jpv