Manila
Philippine lawmakers voted overwhelmingly on Monday to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte, paving the way for a high-stakes Senate trial that could determine her political future and potentially damage her chances of running for president in 2028.
The impeachment complaint accused Duterte of misusing public funds, accumulating unexplained wealth, and making threats against President Marcos, his wife, and a former speaker of the House. Duterte has strongly denied all allegations.
The complaint, filed by a coalition of activists, lawyers, and religious groups, gained overwhelming support in the House of Representatives. A total of 257 lawmakers voted in favour of impeachment, comfortably surpassing the constitutional requirement of support from at least one-third of the chamber. Only 25 lawmakers voted against the motion, while nine abstained.
The vote sets the stage for an impeachment trial in the Philippine Senate, where senators will serve as jurors. If convicted, Duterte could be removed from office and permanently barred from holding public office, a development that would likely end her ambitions for the presidency in 2028.
Duterte, 47, has long been viewed as a leading contender to succeed Marcos, who is constitutionally limited to a single six-year term. However, the impeachment proceedings now threaten to reshape the country’s political landscape ahead of the next presidential election.
In a statement released after the vote, Duterte’s legal team expressed confidence about defending her during the Senate proceedings. We are fully prepared to defend the Vice President before the Senate sitting as an impeachment court, where it is incumbent upon the prosecution to discharge the burden of proof, the statement said.
The impeachment represents another major setback for the influential Duterte political family. Sara Duterte has been locked in a bitter feud with Marcos in recent months, ending what was once a powerful political alliance that helped deliver victory in the 2022 elections.
The family is also facing pressure from international legal proceedings involving former President Rodrigo Duterte. He is currently awaiting trial at the International Criminal Court over allegations linked to his controversial anti-drug campaign, which resulted in thousands of deaths during his presidency from 2016 to 2022.
In a dramatic political twist, the Philippine Senate also underwent a leadership change on Monday before the impeachment vote. Senators approved a motion to remove the chamber’s president and replace him with Alan Peter Cayetano, a close ally of the Duterte family.
The appointment of Cayetano could significantly influence the impeachment proceedings because the Senate president traditionally serves as the presiding judge during impeachment trials. Political analysts say the development may strengthen Duterte’s chances of surviving the trial despite mounting political pressure.
