The Philippine Senate's impeachment court voted 13–1 on Wednesday, September 23, to lower the number of votes required to convict Vice President Sara Duterte, who faces charges of misusing confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery, and making grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family. The threshold was revised to exclude three absent senator-judges — one in hiding over an International Criminal Court warrant and two facing separate plunder cases — meaning convictions will no longer require votes from senators deemed unable to participate. The ruling, which the minority bloc and several senators declined to participate in voting on, marks a significant procedural shift that Duterte's defense team warned could have far-reaching constitutional consequences beyond the impeachment trial itself.