MANILA, Philippines — The legal team representing Vice President Sara Duterte stated on Monday, September 21, that any potential reduction in the Senate’s required vote count for a conviction in her impeachment trial would proportionally lower the threshold needed to secure an acquittal.
Speaking at a post-trial press briefing in the Senate, defense spokesperson Atty. Michael Poa addressed ongoing discussions regarding potential adjustments to the chamber’s voting mechanics.
“Well, ganun ang mangyayari kasi syempre ano yan eh, kung ilang miyembro na lang, two-thirds of that, so yung one-third naturally, pababa rin siya,” Poa explained.
Poa noted that the issue regarding the voting requirements is set to be formally tackled during the upcoming oral arguments scheduled for Wednesday, September 23.
“But as to what will happen, of course that will be subject to the oral arguments that will be conducted this Wednesday,” he said.
When questioned whether a reduced conviction threshold might work to the Vice President’s advantage by making it easier to gather enough votes to prevent a conviction, Poa clarified that the defense panel has not been weighing those odds.
“Hindi pa namin iniisip ng ganung bagay eh. Kasi very firm, obviously kami sa position namin, kung ano man yun, you’ll find out on Wednesday,” he added.
Poa emphasized that the defense strategy remains focused on addressing the core allegations once their turn comes to submit evidence to the Senate.
“We will be ready to confront those issues during our turn to present our evidence in chief,” he said.