Supreme Court Rejects Petitions Challenging Adjusted Impeachment Voting Threshold in Duterte Case

The Philippine Supreme Court dismissed three petitions that sought to overturn the Senate impeachment court’s decision to adjust the voting threshold for Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial. The court ruled that only votes of senator‑judges who are “legally and factually capable” at the time of voting will be counted, a change from the original requirement of 16 of 24 senators. The petitions were dismissed for lack of legal standing and for being filed prematurely. The decision means the trial will proceed under the new threshold, with no immediate legal challenge to the voting rule.