Philippine Supreme Court halts impeachment trial against VP Duterte

 

The Philippine Supreme Court has halted an impeachment hearing against Sara Duterte, handing the vice president a victory.

In February, the lower house of the Philippine parliament voted to impeach Duterte after she was accused of squandering public funds and threatening to kill President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Junior.

However, a court spokesperson told reporters on Friday that the impeachment vote breached a constitutional prohibition on conducting numerous impeachment processes in a year.

At a press conference on Friday, the court stated that it was not absolving Duterte of the accusations she is facing.

However, the verdict implies that she has been granted a reprieve from potential removal, at least until February 2026.

This also gives her more time to gather support for a possible presidential run in the crucial run-up years to the 2028 general elections.

Had the impeachment vote gone against her, Duterte would not have been able to run for president.

But even before this ruling, the odds of convicting Sara in the Senate impeachment court, or even starting the proceedings, was uncertain due to shifting political alliances that followed the general election in May.

The feud between Duterte and Marcos had dominated the election, and Duterte won more seats in the Senate than expected, in what was seen as a rebuff of the incumbent.

The 15-member Supreme Court is dominated by appointees of Sara’s father.

Impeachment processes are highly controversial in the Philippines’ volatile political landscape.

Since the restoration of democracy in 1986, only one such attempt has resulted in a verdict: former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona was convicted of concealing his assets in 2012.

Former President Joseph Estrada’s impeachment for alleged graft was halted in 2001 as public outrage at the trial’s conduct sparked enormous street protests, ultimately leading to his removal.