Sara Duterte: Philippine House backs impeachment of VP

The lower house of the Philippine Congress voted Wednesday to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte, daughter of the country's former president.

According to House Secretary General Reginald Velasco, 215 of the 306 lawmakers have signed a petition to impeach Duterte, more than enough to be considered for impeachment by the House.

Details of the impeachment have not been released. But the vote follows the filing of three impeachment complaints last month.

They accused Duterte of crimes ranging from the "brazen misuse" of millions of dollars in public funds to plotting the assassination of President Ferdinand Marcos.

What will happen next to Duterte?

The next step is a trial in the upper chamber of the Philippine Congress, the Senate.

With enough support from House lawmakers, the impeachment complaint has been ordered to be transmitted to the Senate, which will serve as the impeachment tribunal that would try Duterte.

Two-thirds of the 24 senators must vote for her impeachment to become a reality. A trial date has not yet been set.

Duterte has consistently denied wrongdoing, calling it a political vendetta.

Conflict between Duterte and Marcos

Duterte was widely tipped to succeed her father, Rodrigo, as president in the 2022 elections, but she stepped aside to endorse Marcos and later ran for vice president on his ticket.

Their alliance subsequently imploded, and in November, the rift reached a crescendo. Duterte then said at a press conference that she had hired an assassin to kill Marcos and the first lady, as well as House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the president's cousin, if she were killed.

She later denied that her remarks constituted a death threat, saying she was merely expressing "consternation" at the government's failures.

Marcos, for his part, has said he is not in favor of her impeachment, but he has no power over the legislature.

Edited by: Wesley Dockery