Philippine House Clears Threshold for Second Impeachment Motion Against Vice President Duterte
Charges include constitutional violations and unexplained bank transactions exceeding $110 million, marking a deepening institutional rift between the Duterte family and President Marcos Jr.
The Philippine House of Representatives has met the required one-third vote threshold to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte for a second time. This procedural milestone, achieved as of May 7, allows the complaint filed unanimously by the House Committee on Justice to proceed to the Senate for trial. The motion seeks the vice president's removal from office and her perpetual disqualification from holding any future government post.
The impeachment complaint alleges two constitutional violations alongside charges of betrayal of public trust, misuse of confidential government funds, failure to disclose wealth, and bribery. Specific accusations also include threats directed against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, his wife Liza Araneta, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. House member Terry Ridon highlighted the severity of the financial allegations, citing private bank transactions flagged by the anti-money laundering agency that total more than $110 million.
Ridon stated that the scale of these transactions cannot be reasonably explained by lawful income, declared assets, or the professional activities attributed to the couple. He described the House's action not merely as a political exercise but as a constitutional act of accountability. The House aims to secure a two-thirds majority in the Senate to convict and remove the vice president, a standard that remains uncertain given the complexities of the ongoing legal process.
This development occurs against a backdrop of deepening political turmoil between the Duterte family and President Marcos Jr, who previously ran as a team in the 2022 election before their alliance unravelling. The elder Duterte was recently arrested by the order of the International Criminal Court, adding further strain to the nation's political landscape even as the country faces serious economic uncertainty due to a global energy crisis.
A previous impeachment motion against Duterte was passed in 2025 after receiving 215 votes in the House, a figure well above the one-third threshold. However, that motion was later voided by the Supreme Court over technical questions. The current House intends to replicate the strength of the previous vote, with a legislator from the vice president's stronghold in Mindanao suggesting the final count could be close to the earlier 215 votes.
Vice President Duterte has declared her intention to run in the 2028 presidential race, framing the current legal proceedings as beyond human control. Speaking to supporters after visiting her father in The Hague, she stated that whatever the outcome of the impeachment is "written by God," asserting that if she is impeached, it is simply the result of that divine plan.
