Philippines feud escalates as lawmakers vote to impeach vice-president

The Philippines’ parliament has voted to impeach Vice-President Sara Duterte following complaints about alleged corruption.

Duterte has been accused of misusing millions of dollars in public funds and threatening to have President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr assassinated.

She has denied the charges and alleged she is the victim of a political vendetta.

The shock move is widely seen as an escalation of Duterte’s bitter feud with Marcos, which has kept the nation on edge for months.

A total of 215 out of 306 members of the House of Representatives voted for impeachment, well above the one-third threshold needed for the bill to pass.

The bill will now be heard by the 24-member Senate, which will convene as an impeachment court.

If found guilty, Duterte faces removal from her post and would be the first vice-president in Philippine history to be impeached. She would also be permanently barred from holding public office.

She is expected to stay in office until the Senate delivers its judgement. A trial date has not been set yet.

While she has not revealed her future plans, Duterte – who is the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte – is widely perceived as a potential successor to Marcos, who is ineligible to run for a second term in 2028.

The scions of two Philippine political dynasties, Duterte and Marcos had initially competed for the presidency in the lead-up to the 2022 elections.

She was slightly ahead of Marcos in opinion polls but decided to become his running mate instead. Analysts said this ensured the pair’s landslide win.

However, the alliance started to unravel as they pursued their separate political agendas. They also differed on crucial fronts, such as diplomacy.

Marcos has pivoted the Philippines back to the US, reversing the pro-China stance of Duterte’s father.