Sara Duterte Impeached Again: House Sends VP Case to Senate Trial
The House voted 257-26-9 to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte, sending a second case to the Senate as leadership changes raise questions over the trial.
Vice President Sara Duterte is facing another impeachment battle after the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to send a new case against her to the Senate for trial.
According to Al Jazeera, 257 of 318 House members voted to impeach Duterte, easily clearing the one-third threshold needed to transmit the complaint. Twenty-six lawmakers voted against it, while nine abstained.
The complaint accuses Duterte of constitutional violations and betrayal of public trust, with allegations tied to confidential funds, wealth disclosure, bribery, and threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The case now shifts to the Senate, where a two-thirds vote is needed to remove Duterte from office and bar her from holding government posts. But the trial’s path became less certain after senators elected Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate President, replacing Vicente “Tito” Sotto III shortly before the House vote.
Duterte and Marcos ran together in 2022 before their alliance collapsed into a bitter political feud. With Duterte already positioning herself for the 2028 presidential race, the Senate trial could become one of the biggest political tests in the country this year.
Feature image: Vice President Sara Duterte in her official portrait. Image: Office of the Vice President / Wikimedia Commons
Source: Al Jazeera
