A petition has been filed asking the Supreme Court to nullify the lowered vote threshold adopted in the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte, according to Philstar.com. The petition also seeks a status quo ante order against the Senate's decision on the voting threshold, ABS-CBN reports.
The reports, published Friday, indicate the challenge targets how the Senate set the number of votes needed to decide the case. Philstar.com and ABS-CBN both reported on the petition, though the source material did not name the petitioners or specify the exact threshold at issue.
Separately, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said Senator Manny Villar's vote on the impeachment rules should not be read as an attempt to join the majority, according to Inquirer.net. Gatchalian also said physical presence is key to casting a final vote on the impeachment case, the Philippine News Agency reported.
The Manila Times reported that only the Supreme Court can change the ruling on the threshold vote.
The material did not include the text of the petition, the specific threshold figures, or a response from the Senate or the Vice President's camp.
What to watch next: whether the Supreme Court acts on the request for a status quo ante order, and how the Senate proceeds on the threshold question.
