A judge in a standard court proceeding has to be present in hearings for them to be able to appreciate evidence and rule on the case fairly and impartially, a former lawmaker said.

House trial spokesperson Robert Ace Barbers expressed the need for the Senate impeachment court to revisit the vote threshold required to convict Vice President Sara Duterte.

Referencing previous hearings, he said that it was noticeable that some senators were often absent and unable to physically hear the testimonies of the prosecution panel’s witnesses.

“You have to weigh all this evidence before you come up with a final judgment. How will you render an honest to goodness, objective and fair decision if you did not see the evidence and hear the testimony?” Barbers asked.

The former congressman took note of the recent statement of Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri who said that the issue on the constitutionally mandated two-third vote for conviction may be once again raised in the trial.

Zubiri highlighted that there were some senators who were not able to attend the proceedings due to other pressing matters such as Senator Rodante Marcoleta and Senator Jinggoy Estrada who were detained over separate cases of plunder filed before the Sandiganbayan.