Senator Francis Escudero said 16 votes are needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial despite questions over the absence of three senators.
Escudero said the Constitution requires a two-thirds vote of the entire 24-member Senate, citing the Supreme Court ruling in Bayan v. Zamora, which also recognized 16 votes as the required number.
“It behoves, therefore, all of us, to observe the same fidelity with the Constitution… This is the prevailing law today, and whether we agree with it or not, we must abide by it,” he said.
Escudero added that anyone questioning the interpretation may bring the issue before the Supreme Court, which has the final authority to interpret the Constitution.
The senator also stressed that senator-judges must decide the case based on clear charges and convincing evidence, with the burden of proof resting on the prosecution.IMT
