A Supreme Court challenge is likely whichever way the Senate impeachment court ultimately resolves the number of votes needed to convict Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, House prosecutor Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said Saturday.
Ridon said the question over the conviction threshold remains unsettled despite previous statements from impeachment court officials on the issue.
“Sa totoo lang naman, no. Ang expectation natin, whatever the decision may be, malamang may pupunta naman talaga sa Supreme Court, whether we are talking about 16 or we are talking about a lower number,” Ridon said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.
“Tingin ko, lagi-lagi may pupunta po sa Korte Suprema, whichever party,” he added.
Ridon was responding to a hypothetical question on what legal recourse would be available if the impeachment court changed its interpretation of the two-thirds requirement and convicted Duterte with fewer than 16 votes.
He declined to speculate on how such a scenario would unfold.
“So I don’t want to respond to a hypothetical, pero I think we will just cross it pagka nandun na po tayo sa talakayang ito,” Ridon said.
The Constitution provides that no person shall be convicted in an impeachment trial “without the concurrence of two-thirds of all the Members of the Senate.”
The impeachment court has previously taken the position that 16 votes are needed to convict Duterte.
Ridon has repeatedly stressed that the prosecution is not asking for a particular interpretation of the threshold and would leave the matter for the senator-judges to decide.
Asked whether prosecutors were concerned that impeachment court Presiding Officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero would insist on the 16-vote requirement, Ridon noted that positions on the matter have already been expressed.
“May mga statements na po ng mga binanggit. So I think meron position po ang presiding officer, meron din pong paglinaw din po yung tagapagsalita ng court,” he said.
Ridon, however, said the issue may still be revisited.
“Pero we will see. Kasi yung bagay na naman po na ’yan ay, I think, hindi pa tapos na tapos na usapin,” he said.
metrosundaily
