MANILA, Philippines – As early as now, detained Senator Leila de Lima is preparing her pleadings to be able to attend the Senate hearings on the impeachment complaint against Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

De Lima, who is detained inside Camp Crame on 3 counts of illegal drug trading, needs to ask the permission of the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC) to  attend the hearings in person.

“I asked my lawyers to draft an appropriate motion to be filed with the appropriate courts as soon as the House of Representatives elevates the case to the Senate,” De Lima said in a letter to Rappler.

More important than being able to deliberate in the hearings, De Lima must be present on the Senate floor to qualify to cast her vote.

Should Sereno be impeached at the House, the votes of two-thirds of the Senate or 16 senator-judges are needed to convict and oust her as chief justice.

At this point, every vote is crucial for Sereno as some analysts see that voting will be close in the Senate. Sereno’s lawyers have challenged the House Justice Committee to impeach her now and elevate the case to the Senate.

De Lima also figures in the impeachment complaint, as petitioner Larry Gadon  accused Sereno of calling the trial court judges handling the senator’s cases, telling them not to issue an arrest warrant.

In an earlier exchange with Rappler, De Lima said she does not believe that Sereno would do such a thing.

De Lima is considering asking for a legislative furlough to be able to vote on bills. She said she believes that an expression of support from Senate President Aquilino ‘Koko’ Pimentel III will go a long way. However, Pimentel has not issued any as of this time. – Rappler.com