LIVE UPDATES: Sara Duterte impeachment trial | Sept. 16, 2026

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MANILA, Philippines – Four retired Supreme Court justices will appear before the Senate impeachment court on Wednesday, Day 26 of the impeachment trial, as senator-judges revisit the number of votes needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte.

Retired Chief Justices Artemio Panganiban, Reynato Puno and Hilario Davide Jr., along with retired Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna, will serve as amici curiae or friends of the court.

READ: Highlights: Day 25 of Sara Duterte impeachment trial | Sept. 15, 2026

The four ex-magistrates will give their legal views on whether the Constitution’s two-thirds voting requirement should be based on the full 24-member Senate or only on senators who can legally and physically participate in the trial.

Sens. Rodante Marcoleta and Jinggoy Estrada are detained over plunder cases, while Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa is in hiding amid an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. None of the three has attended the trial.

Each amicus curiae will initially have five minutes to present arguments before the senator-judges.

Each senator-judge will have five minutes to ask clarificatory questions after the presentations.

Both panels may also raise questions through presiding judge Francis “Chiz” Escudero.

On Sept. 23, the prosecution and defense are scheduled to present their arguments before the senator-judges decide whether to retain the 16-vote requirement.

Escudero ruled at the start of the trial on July 6 that 16 votes are needed to convict Duterte, based on the constitutional requirement of a two-thirds vote of all senator-judges.