Politics · Philippines Bureau
Marcoleta skips temporary release bid for Duterte impeachment vote
Senator Rodante Marcoleta has decided against seeking temporary release to participate in voting on the conviction threshold for Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial. The decision comes as the Senate prepares to vote on whether to maintain or modify the 16-vote threshold required for conviction.
LSN Philippines ·
MANILA — Senator Rodante Marcoleta will not petition for temporary release to take part in Senate voting on the conviction threshold for Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment case, he announced Thursday.
Marcoleta's decision means he will not be present when his fellow senator-judges vote on whether to retain the current 16-vote conviction requirement or revise it upward. The threshold vote is a procedural matter that must be resolved before the impeachment trial can proceed to a verdict.
The senator's choice to remain absent from the threshold vote represents a significant development in the impeachment proceedings against the Vice President. Duterte faces multiple cases in the House of Representatives, with lawmakers divided over whether she should face trial in the Senate.
The 16-vote threshold currently requires two-thirds of the 24 sitting senators to vote for conviction in order to remove the Vice President from office. Any change to this requirement would substantially alter the mathematical likelihood of conviction in the trial.
Marcoleta's position reflects the broader political dynamics surrounding the impeachment case, as various senators take stands on procedural and substantive matters related to the prosecution of the Vice President.