The Senate impeachment court voted on Wednesday to revise the 16-vote threshold needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial.

After debates, thirteen senator judges voted to lower the threshold of votes required for the conviction of Duterte to two-thirds of the present and active roster of the Upper House.

Six senators, all members of the minority, did not join. They are Imee Marcos, Alan Peter Cayetano, Robin Padilla, Bong Go, Pia Cayetano and Camille Villar.

The vote reversed Senator Francis Escudero's ruling last July 6. Escudero said the roster of senator-judges who can vote to impeach Duterte will be determined later.

"To determine the two-thirds concurrence required for conviction under Article XI, Section 3(6) of the Constitution, the phrase ‘all members of the Senate’ shall refer only to those members who, at the time of the vote, remain legally and factually capable of participating in the impeachment proceedings,” said Presiding Officer Escudero.

“The impeachment court shall determine on the basis of competent and sufficient evidence whether a member falls within any of the five circumstances mentioned in the new controlling ruling,” he added.

Escudero noted that the senators who will be excluded from voting process are those who are "detained and/or suspended, or otherwise legally restrained from exercising the functions of a senator; persons sought by authorities whose whereabouts are unknown; suffering from a physical or medical incapacity; beyond the coercive processes of the Senate; and others similarly situated."

The presiding officer clarified that the number of votes required to convict Duterte will still be two-thirds of the members present, noting that in case of a fraction the number will be rounded up.

As an example, Escudero said that in case only 20 senator-judges remain, 13.33 will be the two-thirds, it means the needed vote to convict Duterte is rounded to 14 even if the decimal point is less than 0.5.

It can be noted that two senator judges including Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta are still detained due to plunder charges while Senator Ronald dela Rosa is hiding to prevent arrest based on his case before the International Criminal Court and Senator Loren Legarda left the country last month and is on medical leave. Robina Asido/PHS