SENATOR Robin Padilla revealed on Sunday that he and his allied lawmakers are considering boycotting the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte over a controversial ruling regarding the Senate’s voting threshold for conviction.
Speaking in a radio interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Padilla stated that while formal discussions among minority-bloc senators have not yet taken place, a collective decision to skip the proceedings could happen soon.
The potential boycott stems from deep disagreements over the impeachment court’s decision that the required two-thirds voting threshold—equivalent to 16 votes—should be calculated based only on senators actively participating in the trial, rather than the full complement of 24 members.
“We do not want the law to be distorted. If the distortion of the law does not stop, the time may come when we will no longer attend the proceedings,” Padilla warned.
Last week, Padilla, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, and several legal and political allies filed a 106-page petition for certiorari and prohibition before the Supreme Court.
The high-profile petitioners are asking the tribunal to issue a temporary restraining order or status quo ante order against the Senate impeachment court’s interpretation of the constitutional denominator.
The contested ruling, which passed with a 13-6-1 vote, overturned Senate President Pro Tempore Francis Escudero’s initial ruling requiring 16 votes from all 24 senators.
The adjusted threshold excludes senators who are detained, suspended, in hiding, or on medical leave—such as Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Rodante Marcoleta, Ronald dela Rosa, and Loren Legarda.
Petitioners argued that the Constitution explicitly mandates “all the members” to concur for a conviction, warning that a moving threshold risks diluting constitutional safeguards.