The political scene in the Philippines is witnessing crucial turmoil. This week, the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte commenced officially. Philippine senators were administered an oath as jurors on Tuesday. The trial has huge consequences.
Sara Duterte risks a lifetime political ban if she is convicted. This result would also sabotage her 2028 presidential aspirations. This public spectacle affects Duterte’s future, but it also has great implications for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his last three years in power.
Charges and Denials
The lower chamber of Congress impeached Philippines VP Sara Duterte last February. She has serious charges against her. These are anomalies in the budget and accumulation of unusual wealth. She also supposedly threatened the lives of President Marcos, his wife, and the speaker of the house.
Sara Duterte, 47, denies vehemently all the accusations. Her office posted a statement claiming, “We stand ready to confront the charges and expose the baselessness of the accusations.”
The Trial Begins
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri heads the trial. A two-thirds majority vote is needed to convict Sara Duterte. Such a conviction would shatter her plans to run for president in 2028. The Senate hopes to call Sara Duterte in to testify at the trial. She will have 10 days after that to answer the charges.
The initial order of the day was a motion to dismiss the impeachment. Duterte stalwart Senator Ronald dela Rosa filed this motion. He contended that the impeachment process was faulty from the very beginning.
Dela Rosa challenged the constitutional propriety of the complaints. “Will we grant docketing to impeachment complaints which are constitutionally defective and hear and try them by this chamber?” he asked the Senate.
A Deepening Rift
The trial stems from an acrimonious falling-out. Former allies Marcos and Duterte ran on a joint ticket. They secured a landslide victory in the 2022 election. Now, their relationship has fractured. Marcos is limited to a single term. He aims to retain future influence.
He will likely groom a successor capable of fending off Duterte, should she be acquitted. President Marcos has distanced himself from the impeachment process. However, his legislative allies initiated it.
The trial’s timing is significant. Duterte’s allies bettered expectations in the last month’s midterm elections. This proved her durable influence. This is true even when she is fighting Marcos. Her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, also had legal issues.
Authorities arrested and turned him over to the International Criminal Court in March. It has to do with thousands of deaths during his “war on drugs.” He was president from 2016 to 2022.
Precedent and Politics
Sara Duterte is the fifth Philippines top official to be impeached. Just one, former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, was found guilty. Former President Joseph Estrada’s trial was halted in 2001. It also had some prosecutors who walked out. Two other officials, an election commission chairman and an ombudsman, have resigned following their impeachments.
Duterte earlier requested the Supreme Court to invalidate the impeachment complaint. She called it politically motivated. The court issued a call for Congress to answer. Duterte’s office maintained a firm stance again. “The impeachment procedure should never be weaponized to harass, silence, or kill political rivals,” their Tuesday statement said. “It is a constitutional tool, not a political one.” The next several weeks will show the real effect of this historic trial on Philippine politics.
