The House prosecution panel said it is not preoccupied with counting votes in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, stressing that its priority is to prove the Articles of Impeachment through evidence.
Legal spokesperson Atty. Jay Tolosa said the prosecution remains focused on presenting a strong case before the Senate impeachment court, regardless of how the two-thirds conviction threshold is applied.
Tolosa issued the statement after Presiding Officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero confirmed that the impeachment court’s position is that 16 votes are needed to convict Duterte.
“Our stand on this has been consistent from the very start. We don’t engage in vote counting,” Tolosa said during a press briefing.
He said the prosecution’s work is centered on building what he described as an airtight case supported by overwhelming evidence.
“Focus namin dito (is) to establish an airtight case backed by overwhelming evidence so that at the end of the day, no matter how this two-thirds threshold will be interpreted, we’ll be able to secure that necessary vote,” Tolosa said.
Tolosa said possible legal steps related to the conviction threshold remain under internal discussion among prosecutors, but emphasized that the matter is not currently a priority.
“As to the legal steps that we may take regarding this matter, it’s still under deliberation and discussions by the panel of prosecutors,” he said.
“There’s no decision about that matter yet. And quite frankly, that is not included in any of our priorities,” Tolosa added.
House trial spokesperson and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong also clarified that the prosecution had not asked the impeachment court to reinterpret the vote threshold.
“Never did we intimate or reflect in our position in the pre-trial brief that there will be a possibility that we will file a formal request. Never,” Alonto Adiong said.
He said the House prosecution panel would not formally ask the impeachment court to adjust the threshold.
“The House Prosecution Panel will not request or make any official request before the impeachment court to readjust the threshold,” the House impeachment trial spokesperson said.
Tolosa acknowledged that legal remedies may be available under the law and court rules, but said the prosecution is not dwelling on them at this stage.
“Again, in the realm of possibilities, that’s a remedy that’s available to us under the law and under the rules,” Tolosa said. “But as I’ve stated, we’re not discussing it at this moment.”
He reiterated that the panel’s immediate task is to continue presenting evidence before the impeachment court.
The prosecution said its strategy remains evidence-first: present witnesses, establish the case, and allow the impeachment court to decide based on the record.