Philippine lawmakers on Monday overwhelmingly voted to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte, triggering a Senate trial that could derail her widely expected bid for the presidency in 2028.
The impeachment complaint accuses Duterte of misusing public funds, accumulating unexplained wealth, and threatening the lives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and a former House speaker. Duterte has denied all allegations.
A total of 255 lawmakers backed the complaint, comfortably surpassing the one-third threshold required in the House of Representatives. Twenty-six lawmakers voted against it, while nine abstained.
The Senate will now convene as an impeachment court, with senators serving as jurors. If convicted, Duterte could be removed from office and barred from holding public office in the future.
Her legal team said it was “fully prepared” for the proceedings and stressed that prosecutors would have to prove the allegations before the Senate.
What’s happening in Phillipines
The latest escalation is an outcome of the growing rift between the camps of the country’s top two officials.
The House is dominated by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s allies. Over at the upper house, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, who had vowed to immediately put the vice president to trial, was ousted by 13 of 24 senators, including supporters of the vice president and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte. This happened shortly before the impeachment vote in the House.
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Fresh blow to the Duterte family
The impeachment marks the latest political setback for the influential Duterte family, which has been under growing pressure amid a bitter feud between Sara Duterte and Marcos.
Her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, is facing proceedings at the International Criminal Court over his deadly anti-drug campaign that killed thousands during his 2016–2022 presidency.
The House had earlier attempted to impeach Sara Duterte last year, but the move was struck down by the Supreme Court over procedural issues.
Senate leadership twist
In a dramatic political development ahead of the impeachment vote, the Senate replaced its president with Alan Peter Cayetano, a close ally of the Duterte family and former running mate of Rodrigo Duterte.
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As Senate president, Cayetano is expected to preside over Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, a development that could strengthen her position politically.
Rare impeachment in Philippine politics
Sara is now the highest-ranking Philippine official to face impeachment since former president Joseph Estrada in 2000. Estrada’s trial collapsed after prosecutors walked out, and he resigned days later.
Former Supreme Court chief justice Renato Corona remains the only senior Philippine official convicted in an impeachment trial.
Protesters gather outside Congress
Dozens of protesters gathered outside Congress during the vote, carrying banners reading “Impeach Sara Now.”
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Lawmaker Bienvenido Abante, who backed the petition, said the process was about accountability and the rule of law, while opposition legislator Jose Manuel Diokno argued there was already strong evidence against the vice president.
“We have seen the smoking gun,” Diokno told lawmakers after the vote.
