Manila: The Senate impeachment court is set to hear the opinions of court-appointed amici curiae on Wednesday regarding the debated conviction vote threshold in Vice President Sara Duterte's trial. Meanwhile, the presentation of a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) witness has been postponed to next week.

According to Philippines News Agency, Presiding Officer Francis 'Chiz' Escudero announced that there will be no witness presentation on September 16 as the court will receive the views of retired Chief Justices Artemio Panganiban and Reynato Puno, along with retired Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna. Former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. will contribute via a memorandum.

Escudero reminded the parties that the trial will not proceed as usual. Instead, the court will focus on receiving the opinions of the amici curiae. The former Supreme Court justices were enlisted to assist the court in resolving questions regarding the voting base required for conviction in the impeachment case.

The senator-judges will be allotted five minutes each to pose questions, while the prosecution and defense can relay their questions through the presiding officer. Additionally, the court has directed the clerk to distribute copies of Davide's memorandum and another submitted ad cautelam by Fr. Ranhilio Aquino of the San Beda Graduate School of Law to the senator-judges and both parties.

The schedule change followed a request from House prosecutor Rep. Terry Ridon to present the next witness on September 21, citing the need for extensive examination of financial documents. Ridon informed the court that the presentation would be lengthy due to the nature of the financial documents involved.

Escudero approved the request and instructed the issuance of subpoenas for SEC official Gerardo del Rosario to appear before the court on September 21 and 22 at 10 a.m. The rescheduling is also intended to provide Duterte's lawyers with additional time to prepare for potential cross-examination.