Chalssea Kate Echegoyen

OVP Assistant Secretary and Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio, the second hostile witness, answers questions from private prosecutor Atty. Mae Divinagracia during the direct examination on the 18th day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial at the Senate in Pasay City on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. Ortonio is being questioned on matters related to his role and responsibilities at the Office of the Vice President (OVP), particularly on the use of confidential funds.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

VP Sara Impeachment

RG Cruz

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178850939284320260825-senate-impeachment-day18-MT18 (2).jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"></div>OVP Assistant Secretary and Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio, the second hostile witness, answers questions from private prosecutor Atty. Mae Divinagracia during the direct examination on the 18th day of Vice President Sara Duterte&rsquo;s impeachment trial at the Senate in Pasay City on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN NewsMANILA &ndash; Senator JV Ejercito believes the question of whether to lower the threshold needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial is best left to the Supreme Court.&nbsp;&ldquo;Siguro kung para sigurado, mas maganda kung Supreme Court. Siyempre, mas eksperto sila diyan. Pero kung pag-uusapan rin lang sa impeachment court, then we will just have to decide and weigh things,&rdquo; Ejercito told reporters.Ejercito said he has not seriously considered lowering the threshold, noting that he views the issue primarily as a legal matter that should be decided by the Supreme Court.&ldquo;Ang pinag-uusapan ay actually, hindi ko iniisip eh kasi iniisip ko it will be a decision, ano yun, a legal issue, legal matter eh. So akala ko Supreme Court ang dapat mag-decide diyan,&rdquo; he said.Asked whether he would prefer to retain the current threshold of 16 votes, Ejercito said senators would still have to weigh the issue.&ldquo;Isipan natin. Pag-uusapan natin. We have to weigh things, kasi nga may mga kasama tayo wala dito. So ano ba talaga ang dapat, kung ano yung talagang dapat,&rdquo; he said.Ejercito also clarified that senators have not discussed the issue of lowering the threshold during their caucus.&ldquo;Hindi pa formally, not in the caucus. Ang napag-usapan lang sa caucus is the scheduling because of the upcoming budget hearings, because of the impeachment and because of the plenary. So talagang yun ang napag-usapan namin sa huling caucus. Hindi namin napag-usapan yung threshold,&rdquo; Ejercito added.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/18/absences-of-senator-judges-may-prompt-senate-court-to-revisit-conviction-threshold-1917">Absences of some senator-judges may prompt Senate court to revisit conviction threshold, prosecution says</a></div>Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, meanwhile, clarified that senators have yet to decide on the merits of Duterte&rsquo;s impeachment case, despite some senators raising the possibility of lowering the threshold needed to convict her.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think anyone has decided on anything at this point in time. Each judge is still weighing on the evidences presented and to be presented by both sides,&rdquo; Zubiri told ABS-CBN News.Zubiri said his earlier remarks were focused on ensuring the Senate makes efficient use of its time amid the impeachment trial and the upcoming 2027 budget hearings.&ldquo;What I brought up is just the efficient use of precious time or else we get a reenacted budget which is bad for the country. Any other questions on the merits of the threshold is a matter taken up with the presiding officer,&rdquo; he said.Zubiri also said senators had asked Senate President Pro Tempore Francis &ldquo;Chiz&rdquo; Escudero, the impeachment court&rsquo;s presiding officer, about the voting threshold during their last majority caucus.&ldquo;During our last majority caucus there were some members who asked the presiding officer Chiz Escudero about the threshold level on voting. The best person to ask what may or may not happen later on is the presiding officer,&rdquo; Zubiri said.&ldquo;All those are queries for clarification and if anything will be done about it depends on the court,&rdquo; he added.Sen. Erwin Tulfo said the impeachment court would ultimately have to vote on the matter if the issue is formally raised.&ldquo;We have not discussed as a Senate as a whole. It will be brought to the floor for voting. I will listen carefully and evaluate the basis of both sides, pros and cons, why we should or should not lower the threshold,&rdquo; Tulfo said.Escudero has yet to issue a fresh comment on the matter.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/9/2/house-prosecution-no-move-yet-to-lower-16-vote-threshold-1758">House prosecution: No move yet to lower 16-vote threshold</a></div>On July 6, however, when he was elected as presiding officer of the impeachment court, Escudero said the Constitution requires 16 votes to convict Duterte and that the threshold could only be changed through a ruling by the Supreme Court.&ldquo;On the first issue, the 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,&rdquo; Escudero said at the time.Escudero cited the Supreme Court&rsquo;s 2000 ruling in Bayan v. Zamora, which dealt with the two-thirds vote required for the Senate to concur in a treaty.The ruling held that the Constitution provides for a Senate composed of 24 members. Thus, two-thirds of 24, or at least 16 senators, satisfies the constitutional requirement.&ldquo;It behooves, therefore, all of us to observe the same fidelity with the Constitution in this trial, which affects not only the mere ratification of a treaty but more so affects the substantial rights of the respondent as well as the sovereign will of the people as expressed in the overwhelming mandate given to her,&rdquo; Escudero said.&ldquo;This is the prevailing law today, and whether we agree with it or not, we must abide by it,&rdquo; he added.Escudero, however, said parties who disagree with his interpretation may seek judicial relief.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/9/3/zubiri-debate-on-impeachment-voting-threshold-may-come-up-sooner-or-later-1428">Zubiri: Debate on impeachment voting threshold &#39;may come up sooner or later&#39;</a></div>

Senator JV Ejercito believes the question of whether to lower the threshold needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial is best left to the Supreme Court.

Senator JV Ejercito believes the question of whether to lower the threshold needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial is best left to the Supreme Court.

Best for SC to rule on impeachment conviction threshold–Ejercito

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Best for SC to rule on impeachment conviction threshold–Ejercito

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 04, 2026 04:21 PM PHT

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Impeachment

Impeachment Trial

Sara Duterte

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