Marcoleta won’t seek temporary release to vote for impeachment threshold

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Rodante Marcoleta on Thursday said he does not intend to move for his temporary release so he could participate once senators move to vote on the matter regarding the 16-vote conviction threshold for Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.

The need for senator-judges to vote on whether to retain or revise the 16-vote requirement arose as four senators, including Marcoleta, remain absent from the impeachment trial.

Marcoleta made the remarks after his bail hearing for plunder at the Sandiganbayan Third Division, which allowed the interview inside the courtroom.

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READ: Amici curiae at hand, Senate impeachment court revisits vote threshold

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“No, I will not move for a furlough just to vote for the threshold,” Marcoleta said. 

A prison furlough refers to a temporary release granted to an incarcerated person.

The senator thinks the threshold should be up for a vote.

“It’s already in the Constitution,” he said. “Nobody has a right to change the Constitution.”

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On Wednesday, the Senate impeachment court invited four retired Supreme Court justices as “amici curiae (friends of the court) in a hearing to discuss whether there is a need to revisit the 16-vote threshold needed for conviction.

Three of the retired SC justices agreed that the minimum number of votes needed for conviction is not automatically set at 16. /mr