Several senators argue that the Supreme Court should decide the voting threshold needed to convict or acquit Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment case. Senator-judges Raffy Tulfo and JV Ejercito say the issue is whether the two-thirds requirement should be computed using 24 senators or a lower number, and they want the matter resolved by the Court rather than by the Senate.
Outlets report the proposal as a response to renewed uncertainty over how to apply the constitutional standard for a conviction vote. The discussions focus on the proper basis for determining the two-thirds tally, a question that affects the number of senators that must support conviction. While the accounts share the same general thrust—that senators want the SC to rule on the threshold—coverage emphasizes different aspects of the question: some stress the need for judicial resolution, while others note that multiple senators are pressing for the Court’s guidance.
The SC’s involvement would clarify how the two-thirds vote should be counted before the Senate proceeds further in the impeachment process.
