Supreme Court Rejects Challenges, Clearing Path for Vice President Duterte's Impeachment Trial

The Supreme Court, sitting en banc, unanimously rejected three separate petitions that challenged the Senate impeachment court’s recent adjustment of the voting threshold for Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial. Petitioners Victor Rodriguez, disbarred lawyer Berteni Causing and constitutional lawyer Ernesto Francisco Jr. argued lack of legal standing and claimed the court’s rule effectively amended the Constitution. The high court dismissed the cases as premature, since the impeachment proceeding has not reached a final judgment.

The Senate impeachment court’s ruling now counts only senator-judges who are legally and factually capable of voting, requiring 14 affirmative votes out of the 20 active members for conviction and seven for acquittal. Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said the decision shows respect for the Senate’s constitutional role and allows the trial to proceed. Former Integrated Bar president Domingo Cayosa warned that while the petitions could be refiled, they cannot overturn the impeachment court’s final decisions.