Philippine V-P Sara Duterte’s impeachment attempts face hurdles as her popularity holds
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Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte has said she is considering a presidential run in 2028.
PHOTO: REUTERS
MANILA – Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte is facing three new impeachment complaints, setting the stage for renewed scrutiny aimed at preventing her from becoming the country’s next leader.
But unseating her and barring her from politics will not be easy.
The complaints are awaiting action from the House of Representatives, dominated by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s allies, which resumes sessions next week.
The accusations range from misuse of public funds to an assassination threat against Mr Marcos
Her lawyer has said the complaints were “devoid of both factual and legal basis”.
Even with the President’s allies holding a majority in the House, there are doubts about whether they will support impeaching his former ally.
Ms Duterte, daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, has said she is considering a presidential run in 2028 and is emerging as a strong contender, with rising popularity and a loyal base in the country’s south.
The latest complaints against Mr Marcos’ deputy are largely the same as 2025’s and what is “crucial is whether the impeachment of the Vice-President still has the support of one-third of the House membership”, said Congresswoman Leila de Lima, a critic of the Duterte family who endorsed two of the three complaints filed against the vice-president in 2025.
“What remains uncertain are the numbers. The upcoming impeachment process is no longer about the credibility and viability of the charges – that has already been settled – but about the numbers,” Ms de Lima said.
Mr Bob Herrera-Lim, managing director of risk consultancy Teneo, also thinks Ms Duterte’s impeachment by the House may not be assured.
“The Marcos administration is weaker today than during the first impeachment effort a year ago, both publicly and in Congress,” he said.
The public wants “real progress” on the government’s anti-corruption crusade in flood control projects,
Even if the House impeaches Ms Duterte again, conviction in the Senate, which acts as the trial court, may be difficult because she has strong support in the Upper Chamber.
The three complaints against Ms Duterte have been forwarded to the House Speaker and will likely be consolidated, said Congressman Benny Abante, a member of the majority bloc who supports Mr Marcos and the justice committee, which could handle the impeachment process.
The panel is “well prepared” to tackle the complaints against her, he added.
“The evidence against the Vice-President will be scrutinised properly, and I’m expecting the Vice-President this time to answer them properly,” he said.
The revived impeachment attempt on Ms Duterte unfolds amid a power struggle ahead of the 2028 presidential election, when Mr Marcos is constitutionally obliged to step down after a single six-year term.
Mr Marcos and Ms Duterte teamed up
Mr Marcos strengthened defence ties with the US, a shift from former president Duterte’s China-friendly policy.
The Marcos administration in 2025 turned over Duterte to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to face charges over his drug war that killed thousands.
Mr Marcos last week survived impeachment attempts after House allies dismissed the complaints
Justice Committee chairman Gerville Luistro said the panel would apply the same standards in reviewing complaints against Ms Duterte.
Lawmakers could again bypass committee hearings, as they did in 2025 when 215 legislators endorsed impeachment articles against Ms Duterte and sent them directly to the Senate.
Some senators hesitated to hold a trial then ahead of the May midterm election, and the Supreme Court invalidated the case in July, citing procedural grounds.
Congressman Terry Ridon, a justice committee member, has said the House may again skip committee proceedings if one-third of members endorse a complaint and transmit it directly to the Senate.
Still, members of Mr Marcos’ supermajority in Congress would want to use the impeachment process to weaken her, said House senior deputy minority leader Edgar Erice, who is neither aligned with Mr Marcos nor with Ms Duterte.
“This is a political game. They will want to diminish her popularity,” he said.
Hearings could take months, he added, with a Senate trial likely only after public opinion shifts.
“It’s all about 2028. I don’t think the administration wants a Sara presidency,” Mr Erice said. BLOOMBERG
