MANILA, Philippines — The lead prosecutor in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial emphasized on Thursday, September 24, that the Senate impeachment court’s revised voting formula should not be viewed as an automatic advantage for the prosecution, pointing out that it lowers the required baseline for both sides.
Batangas 2nd District Representative Gerville Luistro explained that recalculating the constitutional two-thirds requirement based on active senator-judges alters the mathematical threshold for both outcome options.
“What is lowered is not only the number for conviction but also the number for acquittal. Two-way consequence iyan,” she said during a press conference.
Luistro illustrated the mechanics using a scenario where only 20 senator-judges are participating. Under that setup, 14 votes would be required to secure a conviction, while seven votes would be sufficient to acquit or prevent a guilty verdict.
By contrast, if the full 24-member chamber were counted, 16 votes would be necessary to convict, and nine votes would block a conviction.
“Yes, bumaba ang required vote for conviction, but remember, bumaba din ang required vote for acquittal. Mali pong sabihin na conviction vote lang ang bumaba sapagkat kasabay pong bumaba ang acquittal vote,” Luistro stressed.
The exact total of qualified senator-judges will only be determined when the tribunal prepares to issue its final verdict.
Meanwhile, prosecution panel member and Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Terry Ridon stated that the court’s procedural decision will not alter their strategy or presentation of evidence.
“Iyong paglalatag po ng ebidensya, hindi naman po magbabago. Iyong witness list, hindi rin magbabago,” Ridon said.
He confirmed that previously subpoenaed witnesses—including Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, representatives from PhilHealth Region XI, and the Philippine National Police unit managing firearms records—remain integral to their case.
“The burden continues for the prosecution to deliver on the evidence,” Ridon added. “Gagawin po namin iyan hanggang sa pinakadulo, irrespective of the changing of the threshold by the Senate impeachment court.”
Luistro also cautioned observers against using the threshold vote to predict the final outcome of the trial.
“The prosecution is not in the position to say that the clarification or ruling of the impeachment court is towards conviction. Our commitment remains the same—that is, to present the evidence for the prosecution,” she said.