Philippines House of Representatives Set to Impeach Vice President Sara Duterte
Theo Al Jazeera English
The Philippine House of Representatives is set to vote on a second impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte on May 12, alleging corruption, abuse of power, and a plot to assassinate President Marcos. The move is the latest in a political feud between the Duterte family and President Marcos Jr., deepening instability amid an economic crisis. If the House votes to impeach, the Senate will need a two-thirds majority to convict and remove her.
Mindanao, Philippines — The Philippine House of Representatives is set to vote on the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, on Monday (May 12). This marks the second time in two years she has faced such proceedings.
The move is the latest development in the political feud between the Duterte family and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., deepening the country’s political instability amid a struggling economy hit by the global energy crisis.
The allegations against Duterte include two counts of constitutional violations and betrayal of public trust related to misuse of secret government funds, lack of asset transparency, bribery, and involvement in death threats against President Marcos, his wife Liza Araneta, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
One of the most striking pieces of evidence in the impeachment complaint is over $110 million in private bank transactions flagged by the Philippine Anti-Money Laundering Council. “The scale of these transactions cannot be reasonably explained by legal income, declared assets, or business or professional activities of the couple,” Representative Terry Ridon, one of the main complainants, said on social media platform X on May 12. “Today’s vote, therefore, is not just a political exercise. It is a constitutional act of accountability.”
The House has urged the Senate to find Duterte “guilty” on all four impeachment articles, remove her from the vice presidency, and issue a “perpetual ban” on her holding any government office.
To pass the case to the Senate for trial, the House needs at least one-third of all votes in favor. According to a Mindanao lawmaker from a pro-Duterte region who requested anonymity, the threshold was reached on May 7. The lawmaker said the final tally could approach the first impeachment vote in 2025, when the 313-member House voted 215 in favor.
However, that earlier impeachment ruling was overturned by the Philippine Supreme Court on a technicality. This time, to convict and remove Duterte, the Senate needs a two-thirds majority.
Duterte and President Marcos were political allies in the 2022 elections, but later fell out, leading to the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte under a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC). Sara Duterte has announced her intention to run for president in 2028.
Last week, the House Justice Committee voted 53-0, finding sufficient grounds to proceed with an impeachment and forwarding the complaint to the House for debate. On May 7, speaking after visiting her father in The Hague, Netherlands, Duterte said: “Everything that happens in life is written by God. So if I am impeached, it is God’s will. If I am not impeached, see you again tomorrow.”
