Philippine lawmakers yesterday voted to impeach Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, who has fallen out spectacularly with the country’s leader, paving the way for a Senate trial that could see her removed from office.
While specifics of the impeachment were not divulged, the vote follows the filing of a trio of complaints in December accusing Duterte of crimes ranging from the “brazen misuse” of millions of dollars in public funds to plotting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s assassination.
“Having been filed by more than one-third of the membership of the House of Representatives, or a total of 215 members ... the motion is approved,” Philippine House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez told lawmakers.
Photo: AFP
The fate of Duterte, daughter of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, now lies in the hands of the Philippines’ 24 senators, two-thirds of whom must vote for her impeachment to remove her from office and disqualify her from future public positions.
A trial date has yet to be set.
Yesterday’s filing comes days before campaigning officially begins for midterm elections, widely expected to set the table for the 2028 presidential race.
Whether 16 senators cast their vote for Sara Duterte’s impeachment could come down to Marcos, University of Santo Tomas Department of Political Science chairman Dennis Coronacion said.
“If [Marcos] is committed to this one, to the impeachment process... I think getting the required number of Senate votes is possible,” he said, adding that yesterday’s vote had come as something of a surprise.
However, should the administration stay hands-off, the chances of Sara Duterte being impeached are closer to 50-50, Coronacion said, pointing to the sitting senators’ need for votes from Duterte stronghold Mindanao in the coming election.
The relationship between Duterte and Marcos is at a nadir, their former alliance giving way to a months-long public battle that has seen the trading of wild accusations, including an alleged death threat that remains under investigation.
However, Marcos had previously urged the Philippine Congress not to pursue Sara Duterte’s impeachment, calling it a “storm in a teacup” that would distract the legislature from its primary responsibilities.
However, Marcos’ executive secretary Lucas Bersamin, on Monday said that the Office of the President would “not interfere” with the impeachment complaints.
A public relations official said the Senate was expecting the articles of impeachment to arrive at its security office at about 7pm.
Philippine Representative Percival Cendana, who had backed one of the three impeachment complaints, urged his colleagues to take quick action at a rally on Friday that drew thousands calling for Sara Duterte’s impeachment.
Every day of inaction “condones the impunity, the abuse of power and the harassment that Duterte is doing to our country’s leaders,” he told reporters.
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