Philippine VP Duterte Faces Second Impeachment in Two Years
House impeaches Sara Duterte on corruption, threats, and wealth issues; Senate trial awaited amid political drama.
The Philippine House of Representatives (HoR) has once again impeached Vice President Sara Duterte, with an overwhelming majority vote of 255 in favor, 26 against, and nine abstentions.
This marks the second impeachment in as many years—and under two different Congressional terms—for the controversial political figure. Last year, Duterte faced a similar fate, with 215 legislators voting for her impeachment, well above the two-thirds threshold in the Lower House.
The HoR is expected to transmit the resolution, along with its Articles of Impeachment, to the Philippine Senate, where a full trial will take place. The charges include unexplained wealth, misuse of confidential funds, threats against the President, and acts of bribery.
Last year’s impeachment trial in the Senate was abruptly abandoned after the Supreme Court issued stay orders on technical grounds.
Members of the HoR Committee on Justice (CoJ), who submitted their findings to the HoR plenary, described the evidence against Duterte as “broad and solid,” comprising testimonies, documents, and other incriminating materials.
“At this point, the evidence has clearly established probable cause for betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution,” CoJ member Rep. Terry Ridon remarked during the proceedings.
Unexplained Wealth
Ridon elaborated on the charge of unexplained wealth, noting that the financial irregularities uncovered during the investigation are “staggering.” According to the CoJ, the probe traced approximately P6.77 billion (Dh400.3 million) in transactions connected to accounts linked to Vice President Duterte and her spouse. These included P4.43 billion in inflows, P1.5 billion in outflows, and approximately P2.88 billion in net inflows that remained in bank accounts.
However, the vice president’s 2024 Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth declared a significantly lower figure—a net worth of only P88.5 million.
“The scale of these transactions cannot be reasonably explained by lawful income, declared assets, or the businesses and professional activities attributed to the couple,” Ridon stated emphatically.
Corruption and Grave Threats
Following eight hearings that began in February—none of which Duterte personally attended—the CoJ has also built strong cases against her on grounds of confidential fund misuse and issuing grave threats.
The Commission on Audit identified approximately P448 million as unsupported confidential expenditures that Duterte is now liable to return as personal liability.
During the hearings, video recordings were presented showing Duterte publicly issuing threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, who served as Speaker of the HoR at the time.
“Taken together, these acts constitute a clear showing of betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution,” Ridon affirmed.
Blacklisting and Political Maneuvering
As the news of her impeachment circulates, Vice President Duterte has yet to issue a statement, as she is currently abroad on a 22-day trip to The Netherlands, South Korea, Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, her political allies, particularly those affiliated with the Duterte dynasty’s Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino (PDP), have threatened to blacklist legislators who voted for impeachment. Their threats came amid speculation that a block-voting church group might also support the impeachment motion.
Progressive lawmakers from the Makabayan Coalition, who supported the impeachment, condemned the PDP’s actions as “dirty politics” aimed at intimidating members of Congress. “With the Vice President unable to debunk the evidence presented during the impeachment hearings, her allies have now resorted to petty threats,” the coalition stated.
In response to the overwhelming vote to impeach Duterte anew, Makabayan urged Filipinos to actively support the proceedings. “This is a necessary step to exact accountability for corruption in government and to reclaim public funds that rightfully belong to the nation. The impeachment is not simply politicking in a time of crisis. It is a constitutional process with clear legal basis and profound public interest stakes,” they declared.
Meanwhile, political maneuvering has already begun in the Philippine Senate. Pro-Duterte legislators successfully ousted Senator Vicente Sotto III as Senate President—a move perceived as an effort to stall a swift impeachment trial. Sotto, seen as supportive of an expedited trial, was replaced by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, a known ally of the Duterte family.
This article was previously published on UAE Moments. To see the original article, click here
AI contributed to the creation of this article.