A Philippine congressional committee yesterday agreed overwhelmingly to advance an impeachment case against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, setting the stage for a potential vote that could decide her political future.
The daughter of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, who last month announced a 2028 presidential bid, was impeached last year, only for the Philippine Supreme Court to toss the case out over procedural issues.
Under the Philippine constitution, an impeachment by the Philippine House of Representatives triggers a Senate trial, where a guilty verdict would ban Sara Duterte from elected office for life.
Photo: AFP
The new complaints, ruled “sufficient in substance” by a vote of 54-1 yesterday, accuse her of graft and corruption while in office, and of making a death threat against Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
She has 10 days to respond before the start of a hearing of probable cause necessary to move the complaints to a House vote.
Sara Duterte’s impeachment last year effectively bypassed the committee process, when the necessary one-third of House members signed an impeachment complaint, sending it directly to the Senate.
“Our vote today is not a verdict of guilt nor an act of condemnation. It’s simply a decision on whether the constitutional process should move forward,” Philippine Representative Ferdinand Hernandez said minutes before the vote.
The vice president’s legal team said that they would not comment on specific allegations.
“For now, we will refrain from discussing the substance of the case in the media and will instead address these matters through the proper constitutional processes,” lawyer Michael Poa said in a statement.
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