The Supreme Court may ultimately decide the number of Senate votes needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial.
House prosecutor and Bicol Saro party-list Representative Terry Ridon said either the prosecution or defense could bring the issue before the high court, regardless of the Senate Impeachment Court’s decision.
The Constitution requires the concurrence of two-thirds of all senators to convict an impeached official. The impeachment court has previously maintained that 16 votes are needed for conviction.
Ridon said the prosecution would leave the interpretation of the required votes to the senator-judges.
Meanwhile, the Senate is expected to decide this week whether to move impeachment proceedings from the morning to the afternoon.
The proposed schedule would allow senators to attend regular legislative sessions in the morning and conduct the impeachment trial beginning at 2:30 p.m.
The impeachment court is scheduled to resume proceedings at 10 a.m. Monday.
The Senate hopes to finish the trial by December, although continued delays could push the proceedings into 2027.
The prosecution also plans to present testimony from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) regarding individuals named in acknowledgment receipts used to liquidate Vice President Duterte’s confidential fund expenditures.
According to Ridon, PSA searches found no birth, marriage or death records matching several names, including Mary Grace Piattos, Milky Secuya and Kokoy Villamin.
The prosecution said the evidence could help determine whether the individuals listed in the documents actually received the funds and where the money was ultimately spent.
The PSA evidence is expected to complement testimonies from Office of the Vice President personnel, Commission on Audit officials and National Bureau of Investigation forensic experts.
Meanwhile, Duterte’s defense team said it is prepared to follow whatever schedule the Impeachment Court adopts.
