The daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte (2016–2022) is accused of fraud and corruption, as well as making death threats against Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, her former ally, and other members of his family. Lawmakers voted 255 to 26 in favor of impeachment, with 9 abstentions.
The House of Representatives’ approval of the impeachment process triggers a trial in the Senate, according to the Philippine Constitution. A conviction would lead to Duterte’s removal from office and a lifetime ban on holding public office.
“This is no longer just a political issue. It is a matter of conscience, of duty, and of the future of our nation,” said Representative Bienvenido Abante after the vote. “This is not about 2028, it is not about political alliances; it is about whether we still believe that no one is above the law,” he added. Minutes before the vote, senators elected a new president, Alan Peter Cayetano, a longtime ally of Sara Duterte.
Cayetano, who served as foreign minister during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, denied any connection between his candidacy for Senate president and the House vote on the impeachment proceedings.
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Last April, a Philippine congressional committee declared it had found sufficient grounds to initiate impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte, which could prevent her from running for president in 2028.
Widely tipped to succeed her father, Rodrigo Duterte, in the 2022 presidential election, she stepped aside at the time in favor of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., with whom she allied herself when she assumed the vice presidency.
The two former allies are now embroiled in a heated political battle, which began just weeks after the presidential victory, when the vice president was denied the cabinet posts she had sought.
