MANILA, Philippines — Senator-Judge Panfilo Lacson expressed hope that the issue of the voting threshold required to convict Vice President Sara Duterte would be settled before the impeachment trial concludes.
Lacson on Sunday said it would be "messy" if the Impeachment Court rendered a decision that the Supreme Court would overturn on the ground of grave abuse of discretion.
He cited a hypothetical situation in which the Impeachment Court adopts a lower base number for the required two-thirds vote, allowing a conviction with only 14 votes which could be invalidated by the high court.
"It is better that the issue be resolved this early and someone would bring it before the high court before we reach a decision, so we will be guided accordingly," Lacson said in a radio interview.
He said the Impeachment Court will not be distracted by bashers on social media.
"Like I said, you cannot satisfy everybody. There will always be critics and bashers. But we cannot afford to be distracted by minor issues. We have to push through with the trial as we see fit," Lacson said.
