Philippines VP Sara Duterte Gets Second Impeachment Amid 2028 Presidential Ambition
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine House of Representatives has voted to impeach Vice-President Sara Duterte for a second consecutive year, escalating a high-stakes political conflict that could disqualify her from the 2028 presidential race.
Okay News reports that Monday night’s vote saw 255 of the 290 lawmakers in attendance backing the impeachment—far exceeding the one-third requirement to advance the case. The charges center on the alleged misuse of public funds and highly controversial public threats Duterte made against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the First Lady, and the former House Speaker.
The 47-year-old daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte previously faced impeachment on similar grounds in 2025, though that attempt was stalled by a Supreme Court technicality. This successful House vote now moves the process to the Senate for a formal trial. If convicted by the 24-member Senate, Duterte would be removed from office and permanently barred from holding any public position.
The unravelling of the “UniTeam” alliance that won the 2022 elections in a landslide has turned Philippine politics into a “death match.” While Duterte currently leads early presidential surveys by a significant margin, her legal troubles have mounted since Marcos allowed the International Criminal Court to proceed with the arrest of her father, who is now awaiting trial at The Hague for crimes against humanity.
The outcome in the Senate remains unpredictable. Unlike the House, which traditionally aligns with the sitting President, the Senate is composed of nationally elected figures, many of whom have their own presidential ambitions or remain allied with the Duterte family following the 2025 mid-term elections. Duterte has dismissed the impeachment as “nothing more than a scrap of paper,” maintaining that the proceedings are purely politically motivated.
