Politics · Philippines Bureau
Senate impeachment court must decide conviction threshold for VP Duterte
The Senate impeachment court has the final authority to determine the number of votes required to convict Vice President Sara Duterte, according to the House impeachment team. The Senate's constitutional power to try impeachment cases gives it sole discretion to resolve the dispute over the voting threshold.
LSN Philippines ·
MANILA — The House impeachment team argued Friday that the Senate impeachment court itself must settle the contentious question of how many votes are needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte, asserting that the Constitution vests this power exclusively in the upper chamber.
Ace Barbers, adviser and spokesperson for the House impeachment panel, stated that competing interpretations of the constitutional requirement should be resolved by the Senate rather than by external parties. He emphasized that the Senate's role as the sole arbiter of impeachment trials includes determining procedural matters related to the conviction threshold.
The dispute centers on whether a simple majority or a supermajority of senators must vote to convict the Vice President. This procedural question has become a critical issue in the ongoing impeachment case against Duterte.
Barbers' statement underscores the House team's position that the Senate, as the constitutionally designated impeachment court, possesses the inherent authority to interpret and apply the rules governing its proceedings. The Senate is expected to address this matter as the impeachment trial progresses.