On Wednesday, the Philippine lower house impeached Vice President Sara Duterte, the daughter of the country’s former firebrand leader, setting the stage for a rare, high-profile trial in the Senate.
The impeachment stemmed from allegations Duterte misused public funds while vice president and education minister, amassed unexplained wealth, and threatened the lives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the first lady, and the lower house speaker. She has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
She became the second most senior elected official in the Philippines to be impeached after former President Joseph Estrada in 2000.
Setback For Family
The move is a major setback for the influential Duterte family, whose popularity grew rapidly after Rodrigo Duterte was swept to power in 2016 as a maverick, crime-busting mayor, who as president upended Philippine foreign policy and launched a “war on drugs” that killed thousands of people.
The impeachment comes amid a bitter rift between her and Marcos that has played out in public following the collapse of a powerful alliance between their families that brought them a landslide victory in the 2022 election.
Duterte’s brother, Davao Congressman Paolo Duterte, was quick to dismiss the move as politically motivated.
“Mark my words: this reckless abuse of power will not end in their favour,” he said in a statement.
The impeachment complaint was received by the Senate shortly after 215 of the 306 lower house lawmakers endorsed it amid cheers and applause.
Impeachment Trial
The 33-page complaint was filed on the grounds of culpable violation of the constitution, graft and corruption, other high crimes, and betrayal of public trust. A representative of Duterte did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
She is the fourth top official in the Philippines to be impeached, after Estrada, an ombudsman, and a former Supreme Court chief justice.
The upper house’s 23 senators will serve as jurors in the impeachment trial that could lead to Duterte’s removal from her post and a lifetime ban from office, which would kill off any future hope of becoming president.
The impeachment comes ahead of mid-term elections in May, widely seen as a litmus test of Marcos’ popularity and a chance to consolidate power and groom a successor. Philippine presidents are limited to a single, six-year term.
It is unclear when the Senate trial will take place.
Fighting For Political Survival
Duterte’s removal would require two-thirds support of the Senate, where Duterte still enjoys support from key allies. The chamber also includes staunch backers of Marcos.
“I am unsure if they have the votes to convict VP Sarah,” said Ederson Tapia, professor of public administration at the University of Makati.
“For the Duterte dynasty, obviously, Sarah is fighting for political survival.”
The acrimonious row between the president and vice president reached a dramatic crescendo when Duterte in a November press conference said she had contracted an assassin to kill Marcos, his wife, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the president’s cousin, if she herself were killed.
She has not specified any threat to her life and has said her remarks were taken out of context.
Marcos, for his part, has said he does not support her impeachment but has no power over the legislative branch.
(with inputs from Reuters)
