Senate votes to lower conviction threshold in VP Duterte impeachment trial; minority member votes yes

The Philippine Senate has voted to lower the threshold required to convict Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial. The decision effectively sets the new benchmark at two-thirds of the senators legally able to participate in the proceedings, a shift from the previous requirement of two-thirds of all 24 senators. Notably, Senator Mark Villar, a member of the minority bloc, cast a "yes" vote for the motion, diverging from the stance of his colleagues. He was the sole senator from the minority to do so, as Senate minority leader Alan Peter Cayetano and five other members of the group abstained from voting. Among those who abstained was Senator Camille Villar, Mark Villar's sister. Senator Mark Villar has yet to provide an explanation for his vote, and Senator Camille Villar has also not issued a statement. GMA News Online has reached out to Mark Villar for comment but had not received a reply as of reporting time. The Senate impeachment court on Wednesday voted to lower the threshold required to convict Duterte in her impeachment trial by setting it to two-thirds of the senator-judges who are legally allowed to participate in the proceedings. Thirteen senator-judges voted in favor of the motion put forward by Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo, who sought reconsideration of the July 6 ruling that set the voting threshold at 16, which is two-thirds of the 24-member Senate. "It means that for purposes of determining the two-thirds concurrence vote required for conviction under Article 11, Section 3.6, the phrase 'All members of the Senate' shall refer only to those members who, at the time of the vote, remain legally and factually capable of participating in the impeachment proceedings," Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero said. He said excluded members are those who are detained, have standing warrants of arrest, or are on extended medical leave. The remaining [qualified] members shall then constitute the denominator from which the required two-thirds concurrence shall be computed. When the computation of two-thirds results in a fraction, the number of votes required for conviction shall be rounded up to the next higher whole number, even if the fraction is less than 0.5,” Escudero added. Tulfo sought consideration since four of their colleagues have not been present in the impeachment trial proceedings. Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta are detained on plunder and other related charges due to their alleged involvement in flood control projects and undeclared campaign donations, respectively. Senator Ronald dela Rosa, on the other hand, is nowhere to be found amid a standing warrant of arrest issued against him by the International Criminal Court due to his alleged involvement in the drug war deaths. Senator Loren Legarda, for her part, is on an extended medical leave abroad due to a lung ailment. The 1987 Constitution states that "no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of all the Members of the Senate." —VAL, GMA News