Philippines impeachment: is path now clear to convict Sara Duterte?

The Philippine Senate, acting as an impeachment court, has made a ruling that simplifies the mathematical threshold for convicting Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio. On Wednesday, the Senate decided that only senator-judges present and able to participate in the trial will be counted when determining the two-thirds vote required for conviction. This decision, while making conviction mathematically easier, is expected by observers to escalate the already divisive impeachment trial. The article states that under the Philippine constitution, a two-thirds vote of the Senate is necessary for conviction.