Only Present Senators Should Count in Impeachment Conviction Vote: Garin

MANILA — House Deputy Speaker Janette Garin has proposed that only senators capable of performing their duties should be counted when determining the two-thirds majority needed to convict in an impeachment trial.

Garin made the statement on Saturday ahead of scheduled oral arguments before the Senate Impeachment Court next week, where prosecution and defense panels are set to present their cases.

The proposal would effectively lower the voting threshold by excluding absent senators from the calculation, potentially making conviction easier to achieve. The current practice counts all 24 senators in determining whether the supermajority requirement has been met, regardless of whether they are present during proceedings.

The suggestion reflects broader debate over procedural rules governing impeachment trials in the Senate. As the chamber prepares for substantive arguments in the coming week, the question of how votes should be counted remains a point of contention between different factions.

Garin's position aligns with arguments made by impeachment prosecutors, who have previously contended that the voting threshold should be based on senators actually participating in the trial rather than the full chamber membership.