House trial spokesperson and former congressman Robert Ace Barbers rejected claims that criminal cases against senator-judges were intended to pressure them into voting for the conviction of Vice President Sara Duterte, saying the charges stemmed from their own alleged actions.

“These cases that senators may face or are currently facing are clearly not made up by the government, it came from their actions. That’s why the government is asking them to explain and face their cases,” Barbers said in an online interview.

Barbers was responding to Duterte spokesperson lawyer Salvador Panelo, who accused the administration of weaponizing the justice system against public officials who oppose the government.

Panelo claimed the administration was threatening, coercing and corrupting judicial institutions to work in its favor, which he said contributed to Duterte’s distrust of local courts.

“We trust in the judiciary. We trust in the other independent bodies of the government. But insofar as this administration threatens them, coerces them, corrupts them then that’s the source of distrust,” Panelo said in a separate interview.

Barbers disputed the assertion, arguing that cases filed against public officials should be evaluated based on the allegations and evidence against them rather than viewed as politically motivated.

He cited the plunder case involving Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, saying the case arose from issues surrounding P75 million in campaign contributions received by the senator.

Barbers had previously maintained that Marcoleta’s case was separate from Duterte’s impeachment trial.

He also cited the situation of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, whose absence from the proceedings has been linked to an International Criminal Court case involving alleged crimes against humanity during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

“All these things are not fabricated, these cases can not be blamed on the government because they know their actions and it was not invented against them,” Barbers said.

The issue has resurfaced as the Senate impeachment court reconsiders its earlier ruling requiring 16 votes to convict Duterte.

Several senator-judges have been unable to participate in the proceedings for different reasons, prompting questions over whether they should remain part of the voting base used to calculate the constitutionally required two-thirds vote.

Barbers said their circumstances provide “valid reasons” for excluding them when determining the voting threshold.

Presiding officer Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero earlier ruled that 16 votes, representing two-thirds of the full 24-member Senate, are required to convict Duterte.

The impeachment court is set to hear arguments from the prosecution and defense on 23 September before resolving the disputed threshold.