Senators Robin Padilla and Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, along with the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) and other petitioners, have asked the Supreme Court to restore the 16-vote threshold required to convict an impeached official.
In a petition for certiorari and prohibition filed Tuesday, the petitioners challenged the impeachment court’s September ruling that lowered the required votes for conviction based on the number of senators capable of participating in the proceedings.
They also sought the immediate issuance of a Status Quo Ante Order, Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), and Writ of Preliminary Injunction to prevent the implementation of the lower threshold.
“This case is not about whether the Vice President should be convicted or acquitted,” the petitioners said. “It is about the number the Constitution requires before any conviction can lawfully be rendered.”
“The Constitution says two-thirds of all the Members of the Senate. With twenty-four Senators, that is sixteen,” they added.
The petitioners argued that allowing the threshold to change depending on Senate attendance could effectively weaken the Constitution’s requirement for a supermajority vote.
The Senate impeachment court voted 13-1, with six abstentions, to interpret the two-thirds requirement as referring to senators capable of participating in the trial.
Several senators are currently absent from the proceedings, including Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta, who are detained over plunder charges, Ronald dela Rosa, who is being sought under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant, and Loren Legarda, who is abroad for medical treatment.
The Supreme Court earlier dismissed a separate petition challenging the revised threshold on procedural grounds, including lack of standing and prematurity.
