Philippine lawmakers vote to impeach vice president

The Philippine parliament has voted to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte after complaints of alleged corruption. Duterte is accused of embezzling millions of dollars in public funds and threatening to kill President Ferdinand “Bonbong” Marcos Jr. She denies the charges and says she is the victim of a political vendetta, the reported by BBC.

The shock move is seen by many as an escalation of the bitter feud between Duterte and Marcos that has kept the nation on edge for months. Both are scions of Philippine political dynasties: she is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, and he is the son of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

House of Representatives votes to impeach

A total of 215 of the 306 members of the House of Representatives voted to impeach, well above the one-third threshold needed to pass the bill. The bill will now go to the 24-member Senate, which will meet as an impeachment court. If found guilty, Duterte faces removal from office and would become the first vice president in Philippine history to be impeached.

She is expected to remain in office until the Senate issues its ruling. A trial date has not yet been set. Duterte is widely seen as a potential successor to Marcos, who is ineligible to run again in 2028 because the constitution limits presidents to one six-year term. Impeachment would effectively disqualify her from the presidency, as she would be permanently barred from holding public office.

Duterte and Marcos: Disagreements

The move comes ahead of the May midterm elections, which will be seen as a referendum for Marcos at the halfway point of his term, as well as a barometer of public support for Duterte. Duterte has not commented on the impeachment vote. But her older brother, who represents their hometown of Davao in Congress, Paolo Duterte, said the administration was treading on dangerous ground with what he called a clear act of political persecution.

Marcos has also not commented on Duterte’s impeachment. In November, he said it would be a waste of time for lawmakers to recall her when they have more important work to do. Duterte and Marcos presented a picture of unity when they ran for re-election in 2022, calling themselves “UniTeam.” But differences began to emerge even before they took office, when Duterte asked her to head the defense portfolio in Marcos’ cabinet, but instead appointed her as education secretary.