Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte Faces Impeachment Trial That Could Shape 2028 Presidential Race

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte is facing an impeachment trial after the lower house voted for a second time to impeach her, a little over a year after an earlier complaint was voided on constitutional grounds.

The latest impeachment complaint accuses Duterte, the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, of misusing public funds, accumulating unexplained wealth, and publicly threatening lives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the first lady, and a former House Speaker.

Duterte has denied the allegations, describing them as politically motivated. Her lawyers called the complaints "defective" and characterised the impeachment proceedings as a "fishing expedition".

The impeachment follows the dramatic collapse of the political alliance between Duterte and Marcos, who won the 2022 presidential election on a joint ticket. Their relationship has since deteriorated into an increasingly bitter feud.

Following their landslide victory in the 2022 elections,  Marcos and Duterte quickly saw their alliance unravel as Marcos' allies launched investigations into Duterte over alleged misuse of public funds, accusations she denies. The feud escalated in 2024 after Duterte said during a livestream, "if I get killed, go kill BBM [President Marcos]," prompting Marcos supporters to file an impeachment complaint alongside the fund misuse allegations. 

Although Duterte won an appeal to halt the impeachment process in 2025, the case was later refiled. Prominent senator and Duterte ally Bato dela Rosa helped secure the election of fellow ally Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president, positioning him to preside over Duterte's impeachment trial.

After announcing her 2026 presidential bid, political tensions in Phillipine intensified, an alleged shooting at the chamber, the removal of Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, and a plunder case against Duterte ally Rodante Marcoleta that triggered days of protests in Manila.

Under the Philippine Constitution, once the House of Representatives impeaches an official, the case is transmitted to the Senate, which convenes as an impeachment court. Senators serve as judges, while the Senate president presides over the proceedings.

A two-thirds majority of the Senate is required to convict Duterte. If found guilty, she will be removed from office and barred from running for president in 2028.

In 2025, the Senate took the unusual step of returning an impeachment case against Duterte to the lower house to clarify its constitutionality. Previous impeachment cases in the Philippines have also been halted when officials resigned before proceedings were completed.

Duterte is not expected to appear in court on Monday.

President Marcos has distanced himself from the impeachment process, insisting it is a matter for Congress despite the deepening political rift between the two leaders.

According to the presidential office, Marcos has "far more important work to attend to" than following the trial.

"He will not simply sit around and watch the impeachment trial," presidential press officer Claire Castro told reporters on Monday, adding that the president would be kept informed of developments.

Marcos said over the weekend that, if he were in Duterte's position, he would attend the trial to personally respond to the allegations.

Castro also said Marcos would not interfere with any proposal to amend the constitutional requirement for a two-thirds Senate majority to convict the vice president. The issue has drawn attention because several senators are absent from the opening proceedings.

"The executive branch will not interfere with whatever resolution is reached regarding that issue. It is up to the Senate to decide what to implement," she said.

The feud between Marcos and Duterte intensified after the arrest of Rodrigo Duterte and his transfer to the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in March last year.

The former Philippine president was arrested in Manila on murder charges linked to his anti-drug campaign, in which thousands of alleged drug dealers and users were killed.

The ICC said Rodrigo was "surrendered to the custody of the International Criminal Court. He was arrested by the authorities of the Republic of the Philippines...for charges of murder as a crime against humanity".

The impeachment trial could determine Sara Duterte’s political future, influence the country's 2028 presidential election, and test public confidence in the Philippines' democratic institutions amid an escalating feud between two of its most powerful political dynasties.