Senate impeachment court votes to press ahead with conviction threshold debate

MANILA — The Senate impeachment court voted 13-6-1 on Tuesday to proceed with its ongoing discussions regarding the number of votes required to convict Vice President Sara Duterte, moving past a procedural challenge that threatened to delay the proceedings.

The decision came after Senator-judge Alan Peter Cayetano proposed that the court defer the threshold question and instead request a Supreme Court ruling on the matter. His motion, however, failed to gain sufficient support among the 20 senator-judges hearing the case.

The conviction threshold has emerged as a contentious procedural issue in the high-profile impeachment trial. The court's ability to establish clear rules on this matter is seen as fundamental to ensuring the legitimacy and finality of any verdict that may be rendered in the case.

With the vote to continue deliberations, the impeachment court is expected to resume substantive discussions on what constitutes the required number of votes for conviction in the coming sessions. The trial, which centers on allegations against the Vice President, remains closely watched by the public and legal observers across the country.