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Bloomberg

Reuters

The Philippine ⁠Senate, sitting as an impeachment ⁠court, on Wednesday lowered the number of votes needed to convict Vice-President Sara Duterte, reducing the threshold prosecutors must clear to secure a guilty verdict.
The court ruled that only ‌senator-judges able to take part in the trial should be counted when determining the threshold for conviction. Four of the 24 senator-judges have been unable to take part in the proceedings and cannot vote.
The decision means prosecutors now need 14 votes for a conviction, instead ⁠of the 16 votes required when all 24 are taking part. Some senators ‌had argued to keep the 16-vote threshold regardless of the four absences, which would have made it more challenging ‌to convict Duterte.
The decision to lower the bar to convict Duterte is a pivotal moment in the trial, which has already been under way for 10 weeks and could stretch until December. She is accused of threatening to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and his wife, misusing public funds and amassing unexplained wealth. She denies the allegations.
“Marcos’ government is pushing the envelope with the cases against the minority senators to ensure that he wins this existential battle with Duterte,” said Ronald Llamas, who served as political affairs adviser during the presidency of Benigno Aquino. A loss for Duterte on this point increases the chances of her conviction, he said.

Two Duterte-aligned senators, Rodante Marcoleta and Jinggoy Estrada, have both been arrested on corruption charges. Another staunch Senate ally, Ronald dela Rosa, is in hiding to avoid an international arrest warrant. And Senator Loren Legarda, meanwhile, is on extended medical leave while she faces an investigation over energy contracts. All have denied wrongdoing.
Senate minority leader Alan Cayetano, who is also under scrutiny for past government projects, has called out the Marcos administration for pursuing “selective justice”. His office has responded that the cases against senators are based on evidence and they have the opportunity to challenge the charges in courts.
The developments come amid a deepening power struggle ahead of the 2028 presidential election, where Duterte is an early favourite. While Marcos is ineligible for re-election because of term limits, the concern in his camp is that Duterte would turn the powers of the state against him and his allies if she wins.
The rift has also complicated efforts to address the Southeast Asian nation’s slowing economic growth and elevated inflation.
At least three more Duterte-aligned senators have legal troubles hanging over them. Senator Mark Villar and his sister Camille Villar are facing corruption charges related to their company’s water contracts. Senator Robin Padilla has been summoned to answer an obstruction of justice complaint for allegedly helping Dela Rosa escape in May.


During the impeachment trial, prosecutors have repeatedly played a 2024 video of a furious Duterte saying that she feared for her life and had made arrangements for the killing of Marcos, his wife and cousin in the event she dies.
Witnesses have also testified that Duterte’s aides have made unusually large cash withdrawals of about US$2 million each loaded into gym bags. They have also alleged the vice-president of using fictitious names to receive money intended for surveillance operations and then spent those funds on Christmas parties.
Duterte’s lawyers have countered that she has been subjected to threats and harassment since her estrangement from Marcos, and that there was no irregularity in how the funds were spent. The vice-president has pledged to be “unbowed” by the impeachment trial, which she described as a “bloodbath and bludgeoning”.
The defence team said it may appeal the Senate vote-eligibility issue.
“If we see that our client’s rights are affected, we don’t deny that there’s a possibility that we will elevate this to the Supreme Court,” Duterte’s lawyer, Michael Poa, said last week.


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Marcos’ ‘existential battle’ with Sara Duterte intensifies in Philippines

The Philippines

Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte leaves a trial court in Quezon City, Metro Manila, on September 11. Photo: EPA

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr attends the Brics summit in India on September 13. Photo: Sputnik via Reuters

Philippine VP’s impeachment trial heats up as unexplained wealth takes centre stage

Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio (centre) arrives at the Hall of Justice for a scheduled arraignment in Quezon City, Metro Manila, on Friday. Photo: EPA

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr attends a session during the Brics summit in New Delhi, India, on Sunday. Photo: Pool via Reuters

Supporters of Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte distribute food and display a banner outside the City Hall in Quezon City, Metro Manila, on Friday. Photo: EPA

The building of the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City. Photo: Xinhua

Philippine court orders Sara Duterte to be arrested for threatening President Marcos, his wife

Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte speaks during a demonstration outside the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, on July 29. Photo: AP

Senator Joel Villanueva, sitting as trial judge, rubs his eyes during the impeachment hearing of Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio in Pasay City, Metro Manila, on August 12. Photo: AFP

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The ⁠Senate lowers the vote threshold for conviction in Duterte’s impeachment trial as the president piles more pressure on his deputy


The ⁠Senate lowers the vote threshold for conviction in Duterte’s impeachment trial as the president piles more pressure on his deputy.


Ferdinand Marcos Jnr

Sara Duterte-Carpio

Marcos’ ‘existential battle’ with Sara Duterte intensifies in Philippines

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The ⁠Senate lowers the vote threshold for conviction in Duterte’s impeachment trial as the president piles more pressure on his deputy

The ⁠Senate lowers the vote threshold for conviction in Duterte’s impeachment trial as the president piles more pressure on his deputy