No need yet to raise 16-vote conviction threshold to SC — Azcuna 

Former Supreme Court associate justice Adolfo Azcuna said Wednesday that he doesn’t see the need to possibly raise the 16-vote threshold to convict Vice President Sara Duterte before the high court.

“Palagay ko hindi pa kailangan na, hindi pa panahon na dalhin ito sa Supreme Court dahil hindi pa naman magbobotohan. Ito ay isang posisyon lamang ng chair regarding the voting threshold which can be appealed to the body,” Azcuna told GMA News.

(I think it is not yet necessary, it is not yet the right time to bring this to the Supreme Court because
voting hasn't even taken place yet. This is merely a position of the chair regarding the voting threshold, which can be appealed to the body.)

After his election as presiding officer, Escudero stressed that the 1987 Constitution provides that no
person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of all the members of the Senate.

“With 24 members of the Senate, a literal interpretation of this means that conviction requires the
affirmative vote of at least 16 senator-judges,” Escudero said during the first day of the impeachment trial last Monday.

Escudero made the statement in the wake of the arrest hours earlier of Senator Rodante Marcoleta on plunder charges. A few weeks ago, Senator Jinggoy Estrada was also arrested on plunder charges and has since been suspended for 90 days.

Meanwhile, Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who has a warrant of arrest from the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, remains on the run.

On Tuesday, Escudero maintained that at least 16 affirmative votes from senator-judges are needed to
convict the vice president.

Escudero confirmed that his statement constituted a formal ruling of the impeachment court, which is subject to any legal remedies available to the parties. — RSJ, GMA News