18 articles
Retired Supreme Court Justice Adolfo Azcuna told the Senate impeachment court that the two-thirds threshold to convict Vice President Sara Duterte is fixed at 16 votes out of all 24 senators — not 16 out of however many show up. Pressed by Sen. Panfilo Lacson on a scenario where only 15 senators are available, Azcuna didn't flinch: no 16, no conviction, full stop.
As retired Chief Justice Reynato Puno warns against the unconstitutional disenfranchisement of senator-judges, the sudden surge of cases against sitting lawmakers exposes the cynical arithmetic behind the Sara Duterte impeachment trial.
Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, testifying under subpoena as the prosecution's first Article II witness, said undisclosed spousal assets and disproportionate wealth trigger a legal presumption Vice President Duterte must personally rebut.
Reps. Terry Ridon and Chel Diokno began presenting evidence this week on Sara Duterte's alleged unexplained wealth, backed by tax and bank records and the possibility of calling her husband, Manases Carpio, as a witness.
With four senator-judges absent and Presiding Officer Escudero set to cast a vote, four retired Supreme Court justices will advise the impeachment court before its Sept. 23 ruling on the threshold needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte.
The vice president escalated her attacks on President Marcos hours after her arraignment on a grave threats case was postponed, as Malacañang had not responded as of this report.
With four senator-judges unable to take part in Sara Duterte's impeachment trial, the Senate impeachment court will decide by Sept. 23 whether the 16-vote conviction threshold should still count absent members — a ruling that could reshape the case's outcome.
Vice President Sara Duterte called for a speedier impeachment trial after weather forced a second straight day of cancellations, but prosecution counsel Lorna Kapunan countered that Duterte has yet to explain why ₱2.3 billion in confidential and other Office of the Vice President funds were allegedly used outside their intended purpose.
Sen. Loren Legarda has filed a third or fourth medical leave extension since Aug. 3 and has been absent from the impeachment trial and Senate sessions while abroad, prompting the Ombudsman to call the pattern "quite suspicious" as it investigates her and her son over an alleged P10-billion ghost solar project scheme.
Declared a hostile witness on Day 16 of the impeachment trial, former OVP special disbursing officer Gina Acosta said Vice President Sara Duterte ordered her to hand ₱125 million in confidential funds to security officer Dante Lachica in 2022, with no itemized purpose and no COA provision authorizing the disbursement.
