Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte. ARCHIVE

The House of Representatives of the Philippines voted to impeach Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio on Monday (May 11), clearing the way for a Senate trial. Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favour of the impeachment, with 255 affirmative votes, 26 against, and nine abstentions. The vote marks the second time in two successive years, under two different Congresses, that the lower chamber voted for an impeachment bid against Duterte-Carpio. Last year, the vice-president also faced impeachment after 215 lawmakers, more than two-thirds of the House, voted to approve the complaint. The House is expected to formally transmit the impeachment resolution and the attached Articles of Impeachment to the Senate of the Philippines, which will convene as an impeachment court for a full trial. The case against Duterte-Carpio is based on allegations of unexplained wealth, misuse of confidential funds, bribery, and threats made against Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.. The vice-president has denied wrongdoing. Her legal team has previously described the impeachment complaint as defective and called the allegations a “fishing expedition”. If convicted by the Senate, Duterte-Carpio would be removed from office and barred from holding future public office, potentially ending what many political analysts consider a strong path toward a presidential bid in 2028. The impeachment deepens the political rift between Duterte-Carpio and Marcos Jr., whose alliance secured a landslide victory in the 2022 national elections. The once-powerful political partnership has since fractured amid increasingly public tensions and political disagreements. The House vote came amid significant changes in Senate leadership. Earlier on Monday, senators voted to remove Tito Sotto as Senate president and elected Alan Peter Cayetano as his replacement. Loren Legarda was also elected Senate president pro tempore. Cayetano was nominated by Senator Imee Marcos and is expected to preside over the impeachment proceedings once the case reaches the Senate. At least 13 senators voted in support of Cayetano’s leadership, while nine voted for Sotto. Two abstained. Among those present was Ronald dela Rosa, who returned to the Senate after months of absence. Political observers said the Senate trial is expected to become one of the most closely watched legal and political proceedings in recent Philippine history, with implications likely to shape the country’s leadership contest ahead of 2028. CAM/Expat Media
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