MANILA: Philippine lawmakers voted on Monday by a wide margin to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte for the second time, setting the stage for a Senate trial that could end her 2028 presidential bid.
The articles of impeachment accuse the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte of graft, corruption, bribery and an alleged assassination plot against former ally President Ferdinand Marcos.
Under the Philippine constitution, a guilty verdict in the Senate would see Duterte removed and barred from elected office for life. “This is no longer just about politics. This is about conscience, duty and the future of our nation,” Representative Bienvenido Abante said immediately after the vote.
“This is not about 2028, this is not about political alliances, this is about whether we still believe that no one is above the law.” Lawmakers voted by a margin of 257 to 25 -- with nine abstentions -- to impeach Duterte. The House had earlier announced 255 votes in favour and 26 against.
The articles focus on misappropriation of public funds, unexplained assets, bribery of public officials, and an alleged death threat against Marcos and other family members. The threat against Marcos stemmed from a late-night news briefing in which Duterte claimed to have hired an assassin to kill the president should he have her cut down first.
