Explained: Impeachment case against Philippines Vice-President Sara Duterte

The Philippine senators voted on Tuesday to return the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte to the lower House of Representatives to clarify its constitutionality.In February, Sara Duterte was impeached by the lower house for several accusations, including large-scale corruption and plotting to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte has firmly denied all allegations.
Following heated debates among members, including efforts by a Duterte friend to dismiss the case, the senators opted not to end the trial but to send it back to the lower house to ensure the procedure was constitutional.
As many as 18 senators voted to return the case to the House, while five senators opposed the move. Activists protested outside the Senate, condemning Senate President Chiz Escudero and other senators who voted to send back the impeachment complaint.According to a report in The Washington Post, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who has demanded an immediate trial, said, “There is no `remand’ or `return’ in the constitution. Our obligation is to try and decide.”

Many legislators who supported Duterte’s impeachment were Marcos’ political allies. Supporters of the vice president have stated that legislators violated the constitution and congressional regulations to impeach her and prevent her from competing for president in 2028 when Marcos’ six-year term expires.“I think we have upheld our oath to be politically neutral,” said Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, a Duterte supporter who introduced the move to return the case to the house, Reuters reported.

The trial will officially begin, according to senators, who summoned Duterte to respond to the charges, despite sending the case back to the lower house until a newly formed Congress is ‘willing and ready’ to pursue the impeachment complaint. She will have ten days to comply while a new Congress will meet at the end of July.

Late on Tuesday, Duterte’s office reiterated an earlier statement that she was prepared to “expose the baselessness of the accusations”.

“The impeachment process must never be weaponised to harass, silence, or eliminate political opponents,” it said.

According to a report in the South China Morning Post, Marcos has separated his office from the impeachment proceedings. When asked about his views at a press briefing in Kuala Lumpur on May 27, he said, “How many times do I have to say that? I didn’t want impeachment. All my allies in Congress did not file an impeachment complaint [against her]. So, why do I have to keep explaining that I did not want impeachment?”

Duterte is the daughter of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who was arrested in March and flown to the Netherlands to face charges of crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court.