ASEAN Beat | Politics | Southeast Asia

Philippine Legislators Set to Vote on Impeachment Complaint Against Vice President

As in 2025, Sara Duterte is accused of betraying public trust, misusing government funds, and plotting to assassinate the First Family.

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte attends a meeting of the Philippine Elementary School Principals Association in Davao City, Philippines, Apr. 8, 2026.

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte faces the prospect of being impeached again based on recent hearings conducted by the House of Representatives.

The committee hearings are set to conclude at the end of the month, before the issue is sent to the plenary for a vote in early May. The House remains dominated by allies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who first impeached Duterte in February 2025. Marcos and Duterte were allies in the 2022 elections and led a “unity government” until their political falling out in 2024.

The 2025 impeachment was transmitted to the Senate for trial, but the Senate delayed establishing an impeachment court and later remanded the case back to the House. In July, the Supreme Court nullified the impeachment on procedural grounds.

After the lapse of the one-year ban on the filing of impeachment cases, a new complaint was filed against Duterte in February. As in 2025, she is accused of betrayal of public trust for allegedly misusing her confidential funds and plotting to assassinate the First Family.

House leaders said their actions will be guided by the Supreme Court ruling in 2025 to avoid the premature dismissal of the impeachment. Despite this commitment, Duterte’s camp has questioned the impeachment hearings and petitioned the court to stop the House from conducting investigations.

The issue remains pending, which allowed the House to continue with the impeachment proceedings. House leaders urged Duterte to attend the hearings and answer queries from legislators to defend her side, instead of repeatedly attempting to block the impeachment by petitioning the court to intervene.

The hearings are different from the impeachment trial, which will take place only if the case reaches the Senate. But the ongoing hearings already provide an overview of the evidence and witnesses that could be presented at a trial. Perhaps House members wanted the public to be made aware of the evidence they gathered against Duterte, since there is no certainty that the Senate will immediately constitute an impeachment court. Duterte has solid allies in the Senate who may move to either delay or block the impeachment initiative.

Aside from citing previous allegations of corruption and bribery against Duterte, the House committee invited a self-confessed “bagman” and “operator,” who testified that the office of the vice president spent 125 million pesos of confidential funds in just 24 hours. He also admitted that he delivered money to high-ranking officials, that his bank was used to transfer billions of pesos, and that he was ordered to plan for the ouster of Marcos in 2025. He showed photos and videos to prove that he is personally acquainted with Duterte. A legislator described him as a “polluted source,” but another legislator believes he can become a major witness after signing a waiver allowing Congress to verify his claims and check his bank transactions.

The House committee has lined up several resource persons from government agencies who will discuss Duterte’s tax records and bank accounts, submissions on her assets and liabilities, and audit reports of the office of the vice president.

Evidence aside, there is still no guarantee that Duterte will be convicted in an impeachment trial to be presided over by the Senate. As a political process, impeachment is not just about legal matters, which explains the decision of the House to release records and other government documents to persuade the public and the Senators about Duterte’s guilt on one hand, and the aggressive response of the vice president’s camp in condemning the “political persecution” targeting the Duterte family on the other.

Duterte is still leading in several surveys ahead of the 2028 presidential election, but she faces formidable legal challenges that could undermine her candidacy. Anticipating the vice president’s impeachment in the House, Duterte supporters have rallied behind her younger brother, the mayor of Davao, to lead a political coalition that would compete in the coming election.

Duterte is invoking the worsening crisis linked to soaring oil prices to dismiss the impeachment as a political distraction. For their part, impeachment advocates in the House are pressing for the immediate resolution of the issue so that they can focus on other equally urgent matters. What they both fail to underscore is the public clamor for accountability and justice. Impeachment is not just about pursuing the truth, but a powerful constitutional mechanism for punishing those who abuse their mandate with impunity.

Amid the widespread poverty and suffering of people reeling from the high cost of living, the impeachment serves as an accountability measure aimed at recovering the ill-gotten wealth of corrupt officials and using these funds to expand social services and subsidies to be distributed among the sectors gravely affected by high oil prices.

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Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte faces the prospect of being impeached again based on recent hearings conducted by the House of Representatives.

The committee hearings are set to conclude at the end of the month, before the issue is sent to the plenary for a vote in early May. The House remains dominated by allies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who first impeached Duterte in February 2025. Marcos and Duterte were allies in the 2022 elections and led a “unity government” until their political falling out in 2024.

The 2025 impeachment was transmitted to the Senate for trial, but the Senate delayed establishing an impeachment court and later remanded the case back to the House. In July, the Supreme Court nullified the impeachment on procedural grounds.

After the lapse of the one-year ban on the filing of impeachment cases, a new complaint was filed against Duterte in February. As in 2025, she is accused of betrayal of public trust for allegedly misusing her confidential funds and plotting to assassinate the First Family.

House leaders said their actions will be guided by the Supreme Court ruling in 2025 to avoid the premature dismissal of the impeachment. Despite this commitment, Duterte’s camp has questioned the impeachment hearings and petitioned the court to stop the House from conducting investigations.

The issue remains pending, which allowed the House to continue with the impeachment proceedings. House leaders urged Duterte to attend the hearings and answer queries from legislators to defend her side, instead of repeatedly attempting to block the impeachment by petitioning the court to intervene.

The hearings are different from the impeachment trial, which will take place only if the case reaches the Senate. But the ongoing hearings already provide an overview of the evidence and witnesses that could be presented at a trial. Perhaps House members wanted the public to be made aware of the evidence they gathered against Duterte, since there is no certainty that the Senate will immediately constitute an impeachment court. Duterte has solid allies in the Senate who may move to either delay or block the impeachment initiative.

Aside from citing previous allegations of corruption and bribery against Duterte, the House committee invited a self-confessed “bagman” and “operator,” who testified that the office of the vice president spent 125 million pesos of confidential funds in just 24 hours. He also admitted that he delivered money to high-ranking officials, that his bank was used to transfer billions of pesos, and that he was ordered to plan for the ouster of Marcos in 2025. He showed photos and videos to prove that he is personally acquainted with Duterte. A legislator described him as a “polluted source,” but another legislator believes he can become a major witness after signing a waiver allowing Congress to verify his claims and check his bank transactions.

The House committee has lined up several resource persons from government agencies who will discuss Duterte’s tax records and bank accounts, submissions on her assets and liabilities, and audit reports of the office of the vice president.

Evidence aside, there is still no guarantee that Duterte will be convicted in an impeachment trial to be presided over by the Senate. As a political process, impeachment is not just about legal matters, which explains the decision of the House to release records and other government documents to persuade the public and the Senators about Duterte’s guilt on one hand, and the aggressive response of the vice president’s camp in condemning the “political persecution” targeting the Duterte family on the other.

Duterte is still leading in several surveys ahead of the 2028 presidential election, but she faces formidable legal challenges that could undermine her candidacy. Anticipating the vice president’s impeachment in the House, Duterte supporters have rallied behind her younger brother, the mayor of Davao, to lead a political coalition that would compete in the coming election.

Duterte is invoking the worsening crisis linked to soaring oil prices to dismiss the impeachment as a political distraction. For their part, impeachment advocates in the House are pressing for the immediate resolution of the issue so that they can focus on other equally urgent matters. What they both fail to underscore is the public clamor for accountability and justice. Impeachment is not just about pursuing the truth, but a powerful constitutional mechanism for punishing those who abuse their mandate with impunity.

Amid the widespread poverty and suffering of people reeling from the high cost of living, the impeachment serves as an accountability measure aimed at recovering the ill-gotten wealth of corrupt officials and using these funds to expand social services and subsidies to be distributed among the sectors gravely affected by high oil prices.

Mong Palatino served for two terms in the House of Representatives in the Philippines representing the youth sector.

Sara Duterte impeachment

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