Around 180 members of the House of Representatives support the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said Thursday.

“Well, in a conversation with our members and party, I think there’s about two hundred who support the impeachment vote. According to Speaker Puno yesterday, he’s counted a hundred and eighty,” Ridon said in an interview with DZRH.

He added that lawmakers are still hoping for more support to either match or surpass last year’s numbers. “The target is at least 215 to be at an equal value as last year’s. There’s no question in that. I think we can achieve it,” he said.

Ridon also addressed reports about lawmakers allegedly withdrawing support for the impeachment, confirming that there is no official list of signatories for the current case, unlike the previous year.

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said the Senate may not immediately convene as an impeachment court. “That’s a possibility because it is a twenty-four-membered court, where majority rules,” he said. He added that even if the court is convened, the trial may be delayed due to procedural requirements. “The trial proper may be in the first week of July,” Lacson said.

Out of the country

Duterte, currently in the Netherlands, may not attend her impeachment proceedings, scheduled to begin with a plenary vote on 11 May. Her overseas trip will extend until 15 May and will include stops in South Korea and other countries.

“Based on our discussion earlier with (former) president (Rodrigo) Duterte, everything that happens in a person’s life is written by God. So, if I am impeached, that is written by God. If I am not impeached, see you,” Duterte said.