MANILA — Malacañang continues to keep a hands-off policy in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, a Palace official said on Thursday, after reporters sought for reaction on the opinions of former Supreme Court magistrates on how impeachment laws in the Philippines should be interpreted.
Former Supreme Court Chief Justices Hilario Davide, Artemio Panganiban and Reynato Puno as well as former Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna were invited to the Senate impeachment court as “amici curiae” or friends of the court to help the tribunal interpret Constitutional provisions on the voting threshold for the ouster of impeachable officials.
Discussion on impeachment trial voting threshold goes into math, fractions
“Naging maganda po ang talakayan ng mga amici curiae. Naliwanagan po ang ating mga kababayan pagdating sa issue ng threshold,” Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a Palace briefing.
“Ang Palasyo ay hindi po manghihimasok kung ano po ang sasabihin na desisyon. Ang pagpapasyang ito ay nasa Senado lamang,” she said.
“Hindi po nangangamba ang Palasyo dahil kahit anong maging pagpapasya nila… nasa kanila ang responsibiladad, wala sa administrasyon,” she added.
Office of the Vice President spokesperson Paolo Panelo earlier claimed that lowering the voting threshold in impeachment trials “invites the government to target senators” who are expected to vote against the wishes of the ruling administration.
Ex-CJ Panganiban asks: Can senators be impeachment judges 'in the shadows of absence?'
The Philippine Constitution requires a two-thirds vote from all members of the Senate to convict an official in an impeachment trial.
But the current 24-member Senate only has 20 senator judges actively participating in Duterte’s impeachment trial after 2 lawmakers were charged with the non-bailable offense of plunder, one still on medical leave, while another went into hiding to evade an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.
The Senate is scheduled to vote on the voting threshold issue on September 23 after holding oral arguments in the impeachment tribunal.