MANILA: The Philippine parliament has voted to impeach Vice-President Sara Duterte. Lawmakers accuse her of corruption, including misusing millions of public funds. She is also accused of threatening to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assassinated. Duterte denies the charges, calling them part of a political vendetta.
This vote is seen as an escalation in the ongoing feud between Duterte and Marcos. Both come from powerful political families: Duterte is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, and Marcos is the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
Out of 306 members, 215 voted for the impeachment, passing the bill easily. The Senate will now hear the case. If found guilty, Duterte could be removed from office, making her the first Philippine vice-president to be impeached.
The trial date is still unclear, but Duterte is expected to stay in office until the Senate decides. If impeached, she would be banned from public office forever, ending her political future.
This move happens just before the May mid-term elections, which will measure support for Marcos and Duterte. Duterte’s brother, Paolo Duterte, criticized the impeachment, calling it political persecution. Marcos has not commented on the issue.
In the past, only one sitting president, Joseph Estrada, has been impeached in the Philippines. His trial ended without a verdict after a revolt.
Duterte and Marcos had once seemed united in the 2022 elections, but their relationship quickly soured. They disagreed on key issues, especially foreign policy, and Duterte’s resignation from the cabinet added fuel to the fire.
The feud grew further when Duterte allegedly threatened Marcos. She later claimed it was not a real assassination plot, and Marcos dismissed it as a small issue.
The vice president, considered as a possible presidential candidate after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's term ends in 2028, has faced as many as 4 impeachment complaints by many groups over multiple issues, including a death threat she made against the president in 2024, irregularities in the use of her office’s intelligence funds as well her failure to stand up to Chinese aggression in the debated South China Sea.