“He will be a factor in the impeachment trial because we now have 23. So it will be easier to raise 16 votes to impeach because he’s perceived to be close to the administration,” Santiago said in an interview.

“Of course, we will not prejudge him because we are required to be politically neutral.”

Two-thirds of the 24-member Senate, or 16 senators are required to convict an impeached official.

President Benigno Aquino III gave up his Senate seat after he won last year’s presidential election, reducing the number to 23. In this case, an impeached official needs only eight votes to get an acquittal.

After his arrest warrant in connection with the 2000 murders of publicist Salvador Dacer and his driver was lifted, Lacson emerged on Saturday from a year in hiding as his colleagues prepared for the impeachment trial scheduled to begin when the Senate reconvenes in May.

Grounds for optimism

Santiago said the Aquino administration had reason to be optimistic of Lacson’s support, having been a staunch opposition leader in the nine-year Arroyo administration.

“That being the orientation, the Aquino administration will have good grounds to expect one more vote in favor of impeachment,” she added.

Malacañang also is banking on Mr. Aquino’s Liberal Party colleagues in the Senate—Franklin Drilon, Francis Pangilinan, Ralph Recto and Teofisto Guingona III—and allies Sergio Osmeña III, Francis Escudero and Antonio Trillanes IV.

Lacson could not be reached for comment yet. He is scheduled to hold a news conference Monday. His spokesperson, Gerry de Belen, said the senator would always be “consistent” in his crusade against corruption, but that it was too early to say how he would vote.

Lacson had exposed a string of anomalies, including the scuttled $329-million NBN-ZTE broadband deal and the Mega-Pacific deal which found their way in the articles of impeachment against Gutierrez.

The articles accused Gutierrez of sitting on major cases of anomalies implicating the Arroyo administration, and of betraying public trust.

Anybody’s guess

Several senators welcomed the prospect of Lacson joining the trial, but stopped short of commenting on its political implications.

“That’s a welcome development on either side, on the side of the Senate, on the side of the House, and on the side of the prosecutors. An additional vote is welcome,” Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said by phone. “It’s different when we’re complete.”

Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri said: “Numbers are very important in the Senate. Every vote counts at this point. We welcome his participation in the impeachment trial knowing that he has investigative skills. He has first-hand information of many Senate investigations utilized by the articles of impeachment. He will be a major factor in the hearings.”

But the three senators would not want to second-guess how Lacson would vote.

“People should not be judgmental and avoid speculating on the individual stand of each senator. They’re not helping the Senate any by doing that,” Sotto said.

TJ Burgonio, Philippine Star