The Philippine Senate, acting as an impeachment court, issued a procedural ruling on Wednesday that impacts the ongoing case against Vice-President Sara Duterte. The court determined that the required number of votes for a conviction will be calculated based only on the senator-judges who are physically able to participate in the proceedings, rather than the full 24-member body.

Currently, four senators are unable to attend the trial, meaning the total pool of voting members has been reduced. This change lowers the absolute number of votes prosecutors must secure to reach the two-thirds majority required for a guilty verdict. While the report notes that prosecutors now need 14 votes to convict, the adjustment reflects a shift in the mathematical requirements of the trial process.

This development occurs amid what has been described as an intensifying political conflict between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice-President Sara Duterte. The impeachment proceedings are widely viewed as a significant escalation in the power struggle between the two leaders, whose political alliance has fractured significantly in recent months. The court's decision on the voting threshold is a pivotal moment in the trial, as it directly influences the difficulty of the task facing those seeking to remove the Vice-President from office.