Sa pagdangog kan Senate Impeachment Court, inimbitaran an mga retiradong mahistrado kan Korte Suprema tanganing magtao kan saindang legal na kaaraman asin eksperyensya manungod sa interpretasyon kan probisyon kan 1987 Konstitusyon na nangangaipo nin two-thirds vote kan gabos na miyembro kan Senado para sa sarong conviction.
Idiniin ni retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. na an basehan sa pagkuwenta kan two-thirds vote sa impeachment trial dapat an bilang kan mga senador na kwalipikadong bumoto, asin bako awtomatikong an 24 na miyembro kan Senado.
Dai personal na nag-atendir si Davide sa Senate Impeachment Court. Imbes, nagsumite na sana siya kan saiyang written legal memorandum.
“The basis of computing the two-thirds must be the number of Senators who are qualified to vote, Not the 24 in the present Senate. All those disqualified by reason of causes should not be included,” an sabi ni Davide.
Para man ki retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, an saiyang pananaw manungod sa posibilidad na makaboto an mga senador na dai nakadalo sa mga pagdangog kan impeachment trial.
“Is it truthful and fair to allow senators to cast their votes despites being absent in hiding, abroad, legally detained, sick, hospitalized or otherwise absent, and have not been able to access and examine the documents have not heard the testimonies and have not observed the demeanor of the witness,” an sabi ni Panganiban.
Sinabi ni dating Supreme Court Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna na pwede pa man giraray bumoto an sarong senator-judge dawa dai ini nakadalo sa mga pagdangog kan impeachment trial.
Segun ki Azcuna, kun nagtutubod an sarong senador na kaya niyang magtao nin patas asin matanos na desisyon base sa bilog na rekord kan kaso asin uyon sa Konstitusyon asin ley, pwede daa ining bumoto sa impeachment proceedings.
“If he or she feels that he or she can render impartial judgment honestly, according to the Constitution and the laws, that even if he missed one or two, or maybe even substantially most of the hearings, but still, based on the record, he or she feels that he can honestly judge the respondent, I would allow. But that’s me,” an sabi ni Azcuna.
Para man ki retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Reynato Puno, an bilang kan boto para sa impeachment conviction nakabase sa “two-thirds of all the Members of the Senate.”
Segun saiya, huli ta fraction an ginamit sa Konstitusyon, pwedeng magbago an kinakaipuhanan na bilang kan boto depende sa kabilugan kan mga miyembro kan Senado.
“If that is the intent, Article 11, Section 3(6) should have simply stated that the number of votes to convict is 16, period. But Article 11, Section 3(6) did not say so. Instead, the language used a fraction,” an sabi ni Puno.
