The Vice President of the Philippines, Sara Duterte, was impeached by the lower house on Wednesday. The accusations against her ranged from conspiring to assassinate the president to engaging in large-scale corruption and not strongly condemning China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea against Filipino forces.
This move by the House of Representatives, which consists of many allies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has escalated the ongoing political conflict between the two highest officials in the country.
President Marcos has focused on strengthening defense partnerships with the United States, the Philippines’ treaty ally. In contrast, Vice President Duterte’s father, Rodrigo Duterte, had pursued close relationships with China and Russia during his tumultuous presidency, which concluded in 2022.
At least 215 legislators in the lower house signed the impeachment complaint against the vice president, significantly more than the required number to allow the petition to be rapidly transmitted to the Senate, which would serve as a tribunal to try the vice president, House of Representatives Secretary-General Reginald Velasco told a plenary House meeting in the body’s last session before a four-month recess.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez, top right, presides over the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte at the House of Representatives in Quezon City in Manila, Philippines, Wednesday, Feb.5, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerard Carreon)
Allegations of graft and corruption against her also emanated from a monthslong and televised House investigation on the alleged misuse of 612.5 million pesos ($10.5 million) of confidential and intelligence funds received by Duterte’s offices as vice president and education secretary. She has since left the education post after her political differences with Marcos deepened.
She has also been accused of unexplained wealth and failure to declare her wealth as required by the law. She has refused to respond to questions in detail in tense televised hearings last year.
The impeachment complaint accused Duterte of undermining the Marcos government’s policies, including her description of the administration’s handling of territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea as a “fiasco.” The complaint also mentioned her silence over China’s increasingly assertive actions in the disputed waters.
“Her sheer evasiveness and silence on the West Philippine Sea issue, an issue that strikes at the core of Philippine sovereignty, is diametrically opposed to her being so loquacious as to other issues,” the impeachment petition said, using the Philippine name for the disputed waters.
Duterte has repeatedly accused Marcos, his wife and Romualdez of corruption, weak leadership and attempting to muzzle her because of speculation she may seek the presidency in 2028.
