On Monday, May 11, lawmakers in the Philippine House of Representatives approved a renewed impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, marking the second impeachment move against her in under two years and paving the way for possible removal and a lifetime public office ban. The vote, held in Manila, marks the latest escalation in the bitter political rivalry between the Duterte family and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The charges against Duterte are sweeping. They include two constitutional violations, betrayal of public trust through the misuse of confidential government funds, failure to disclose her wealth, bribery, and threats linked to alleged death threats she made against Marcos, his wife Liza Araneta, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
One of the most serious allegations involves private bank transactions flagged by the country’s anti-money laundering agency totaling more than $110 million.
Terry Ridon, a House member and one of the main complainants, said in a statement posted on X on Monday: “The scale of these transactions cannot be reasonably explained by lawful income, declared assets, or the businesses and professional activities attributed to the couple.” He added: “Today’s vote is therefore not merely a political exercise. It is a constitutional act of accountability.”
The impeachment threshold was crossed before the session even began. A House member from Mindanao — Duterte’s political stronghold — told Al Jazeera that the required vote count had already been reached as of May 7, and that the final tally could approach the numbers from the first impeachment vote.
Only one-third of the House’s 313 members is needed to send the complaint to the Senate for trial. When the House first impeached Duterte in February 2025, 215 representatives voted in favour — well above the two-thirds mark, not just the one-third threshold required. That earlier impeachment was later voided by the Supreme Court on technical grounds.
Last week, the House Committee on Justice voted 53-0 to find probable cause to impeach Duterte and endorse the complaint for a full House debate. The unanimous committee vote left little doubt about the direction of Monday’s proceedings.
Duterte herself appeared resigned ahead of the vote. On May 7, she told supporters: “Based on our discussion earlier with [former] President Duterte, everything that happens in a person’s life is written by God. So, if I am impeached, that is written by God. If I am not impeached, see you tomorrow.” She made those remarks after visiting her father in The Hague, Netherlands, on May 6.
What This Means for the Philippines
Sara Duterte would be removed from the vice presidency and barred permanently from public office, if the Senate convicts Duterte which would declared for president 2028. Duterte announced her intention to contest the 2028 presidential election in February 2026, making the Senate trial outcome politically consequential well beyond the current administration.
The impeachment deepens a political crisis that has been building since the collapse of the Marcos-Duterte alliance. Marcos and Sara Duterte ran together as a joint ticket in 2022, but their alliance unravelled, leading to their open split, the ICC-ordered arrest of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, and now a second impeachment bid against the vice president. The country is simultaneously managing economic uncertainty tied to the global energy crisis, according to Al Jazeera.
The Marcos administration has not publicly directed the House’s actions, but the impeachment proceedings are widely understood in Manila to reflect the administration’s political posture toward the Duterte family, which now faces legal pressure on multiple fronts simultaneously.
Background
Sara Duterte served as mayor of Davao City before running as Marcos’s vice-presidential candidate in 2022. The pair won by a large margin. Their alliance fractured publicly in late 2024 after Duterte made on-camera remarks describing her relationship with Marcos as “toxic” and later threatened his assassination if she were killed — remarks that became part of the current impeachment complaint. Her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, was transferred to ICC custody earlier this year following the court’s confirmation of a crimes against humanity trial against him related to his administration’s drug war. The Philippine constitution requires a two-thirds Senate majority to convict and remove a vice president from office.
What Happens Next
A formal impeachment trial will conduct after the complaint moves to the Philippine Senate. The House is seeking a Senate verdict of guilty on all four articles of impeachment, along with Duterte’s removal and perpetual disqualification from government office. A two-thirds majority of senators must vote to convict for removal to take effect. No date for the Senate trial has been formally announced as of Monday. The case is expected to dominate Philippine politics in the months ahead, with Duterte’s 2028 presidential prospects directly at stake.
