MANILA, Philippines — The House prosecution panel affirmed that it will press forward with presenting its evidence against Vice President Sara Duterte, maintaining its core trial strategy despite the Senate impeachment court’s decision to lower the required vote threshold for conviction.
Akbayan Party-list Representative Chel Diokno, a member of the prosecution team, emphasized that the revised voting requirement will not alter their commitment to building a persuasive case before the senator-judges.
The impeachment court ruled on Wednesday, September 23, to recalculate the two-thirds conviction mark based on the number of actively participating senator-judges rather than the full Senate membership—a adjustment Diokno said leaves the prosecution’s mandate unchanged.
“Ginagalang namin at nirerespeto yung naging pagpapasiya ng ating impeachment court. Para sa amin sa prosecution, wala namang pinagkaiba sa trabaho namin, sa tungkulin namin bilang prosecutor na i-presenta ang ebidensya, ilatag ang kaso to the best of our ability,” Diokno said.
“So, yun pa rin, as far as we’re concerned, that is still our focus, and we will continue to do that job until the end of this trial,” he added.
Diokno, who previously presented arguments regarding the voting threshold, noted that the procedural shift neither simplifies nor complicates their burden of proof.
“It never gets easier. Yung trabaho ng prosecution yung mismong pinakamalaking hamon sa amin ay magtayo ng bahay ng ebidensya. Mas madali nga ang trabaho ng defense, dahil ang nais lang nila ay sirain ang bahay,” he explained.
The lawmaker reiterated that the panel’s primary objective remains establishing an unassailable factual foundation for the charges.
“So, that challenge is the same with whatever numbers are needed. Kaya para sa amin, yun ang focus namin, concentration namin, talagang mag-present ng pinakamaayos at pinaka-solid na ebidensya,” he said.
In a 13-1 vote, with six members abstaining from participation, the court overturned an earlier July 6 directive by Senator and presiding officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero, which had fixed the conviction requirement at 16 votes.
The revised interpretation establishes that the constitutional two-thirds requirement applies strictly to sitting senator-judges currently taking part in the trial, following a motion for reconsideration raised by Senator Erwin Tulfo after four senators became unable to participate.
While Diokno contended during oral arguments that the constitutional fraction remains constant but should reflect actual participating members, the defense team argued to preserve the 16-vote standard, contending that altering procedural rules mid-trial violates the Vice President’s right to due process.