The Philippines’ legislature has voted to impeach Vice-President Sara Duterte following allegations of supposed corruption.
Duterte has been accused of misappropriating millions of dollars in state funds and menacingly suggesting she could have President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr eliminated.
She has refuted the accusations and claimed she is the target of a political vendetta.
The unexpected decision is widely perceived as an intensification of the ongoing hostility between Duterte and Marcos, which has kept the country in suspense for months.
Both hail from prominent Philippine political families: she is the daughter of former leader Rodrigo Duterte, while he is the offspring of the late authoritarian ruler Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
A total of 215 out of 306 legislators in the House of Representatives supported impeachment, surpassing the one-third requirement necessary for the motion to advance.
The proposal will now be reviewed by the 24-member Senate, which will assemble as an impeachment tribunal.
If convicted, Duterte faces expulsion from her position and would become the first vice-president in Philippine history to be impeached.
She is anticipated to remain in office until the Senate issues its verdict. A trial date has yet to be determined.
Duterte is broadly regarded as a potential successor to Marcos, who is disqualified from seeking a second term in 2028.
An impeachment would essentially disqualify her from the presidency, as she would be permanently prohibited from occupying public office.
The decision comes ahead of the mid-term elections in May, which will be interpreted as a referendum on Marcos at the midpoint of his term, as well as an indicator of public backing for Duterte.
Duterte has not issued a statement on the impeachment decision. However, her elder brother, who represents their native city of Davao in parliament, Paolo Duterte, stated that the administration was “treading on precarious ground” with what he labeled a “blatant act of political oppression.”
Marcos has also refrained from commenting on Duterte’s impeachment. In November, he remarked that it would be a “futile effort” for legislators to impeach her when they had more pressing tasks to handle.
Since the conclusion of Ferdinand Marcos Sr’s dictatorship and the reestablishment of democracy in 1986, only one incumbent president has faced impeachment—Joseph Estrada in 2000, over alleged corruption.
However, his trial concluded without a ruling after a mass uprising removed him from power in January 2001.
Only one impeachment process has ever resulted in a final judgment—that of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, who was found guilty of corruption in 2012.
Both the Estrada and Corona impeachment proceedings were intensely political and deeply divisive, stretching on for months.
What’s fueling the Marcos-Duterte conflict?
Duterte and Marcos portrayed an image of solidarity when they campaigned together for the 2022 elections, branding themselves as the “UniTeam.”
However, fractures emerged even before they took office when Duterte requested control over the defense ministry in Marcos’ cabinet but was instead appointed education secretary.
Their alliance deteriorated further soon after their inauguration as they pursued independent political ambitions and clashed on key issues, including foreign relations.
Their conflicting stances on the Philippines’ ties with the US and China became increasingly evident, especially as confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels in contested waters escalated.
Marcos has repositioned the Philippines toward the US, reversing the pro-China orientation of Duterte’s father.
He has also vowed a less aggressive approach to dismantling illegal drug networks, retreating from the elder Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs,” which led to over 6,000 deaths, according to official records.
The House of Representatives, where Marcos’ supporters dominate, then began scrutinizing Duterte’s budget proposals, particularly her confidential funds, which are exempt from state audits.
In July last year, she stepped down from the cabinet.
The rivalry escalated dramatically a few months later when, during a late-night livestreamed press briefing, Duterte stated she had “spoken to someone” about “eliminating” Marcos if she were assassinated.
She later clarified that she was not conspiring to kill the President, and Marcos dismissed the statement as an “exaggerated controversy.”
