MANILA — The Philippine House of Representatives voted Monday to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte on charges of large-scale corruption and threatening to assassinate the country's leader, escalating a bitter feud between two of the nation's most powerful political dynasties. But as the lower chamber cast its ballots, Duterte's allies in the Senate staged a leadership coup, effectively taking control of the body that will serve as the impeachment trial court.
Alan Peter Cayetano, who served as foreign secretary under Duterte's father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, emerged as the new Senate president. The elder Duterte is currently detained in The Hague awaiting trial at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity linked to the deaths of thousands in his drug war. The ICC recently confirmed all charges against him, as reported by Asian Examiner.
Impeachment Vote and Allegations
Of the 290 House members, 255 voted to impeach Sara Duterte, 26 voted against, and nine abstained. The impeachment articles accuse her of misusing confidential funds amounting to hundreds of millions of pesos, engaging in questionable disbursements, using fictitious identities, and filing falsified liquidation documents. Lawmakers also cited evidence of unexplained wealth and billions in suspicious transactions disproportionate to her declared lawful income.
Congresswoman Leila de Lima, a former senator who was jailed under Rodrigo Duterte for opposing his drug war, presented the case on the House floor. “It was clear what we heard. We saw evidence of misuse and abuse of confidential funds amounting to hundreds of millions of pesos. We heard testimony regarding questionable disbursements, fictitious identities, and liquidation documents with indications of falsehood and falsification,” she said. “We examined evidence of unexplained wealth and billions in suspicious and covered transactions that are manifestly disproportionate to declared and known lawful income.”
De Lima also highlighted the threat allegations. “We confronted deeply disturbing threats and inflammatory rhetoric that target not only ranking public officials but attack the very heart of our constitutional order,” she said, calling the actions “habits of abuse of power” rather than isolated incidents. “These are matters that go into the integrity, accountability, and fitness of a public official occupying the second-highest position in our government.”
Senate Coup and Political Fallout
The Senate takeover by Duterte allies virtually assures that any impeachment trial will be tilted in her favor. Under the rules, the 24 senators act as judges; if convicted, she would be removed from office and barred from future public office. This is not the first impeachment attempt against Sara Duterte—she was impeached in 2025 but never tried after the Supreme Court blocked proceedings on a constitutional technicality.
Monday's drama is the latest chapter in the crumbling alliance between the Duterte and Marcos families. Sara Duterte ran as Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s vice presidential candidate in 2022, securing the top two posts. But the partnership quickly soured after Marcos allowed her father's arrest and transfer to The Hague. In response, Sara Duterte publicly claimed she had hired an assassin to kill Marcos and his wife if she were killed.
Meanwhile, Senator Ronald dela Rosa, a former police chief who enforced the elder Duterte's drug war, appeared in the Senate to participate in the coup. He had been evading authorities amid rumors of an ICC arrest warrant. Pro-Duterte Senator Rodante Marcoleta defended him, saying, “I'm not sure where they got the authority to chase him… We need to protect the senator.”
The impeachment crisis comes as the Philippines deepens its security ties with the United States and Japan, including joint military drills that have turned the country into a forward base in the Pacific rivalry, as covered in Asian Examiner. The political turmoil in Manila could complicate these strategic alignments.
For now, the fate of Sara Duterte rests with a Senate now firmly in her allies' hands, raising questions about the integrity of the impeachment process and the rule of law in the Philippines.
