Manila: The Philippine Senate is preparing to consider the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte. Philippine Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano revealed that the Senate will convene on May 18 to act as an impeachment court before beginning the trial, amid escalating tensions from the confrontation between the country's most powerful political families.
According to Thai News Agency, Senator Cayetano stated that all 24 senators will meet on Monday to discuss the rules and procedures before the formal trial begins, the exact date of which will be set later. This trial of the 47-year-old vice president is expected to become a fierce political battleground between President Duterte's allies and supporters of 68-year-old President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., following a severely strained relationship between the two sides.
With constitutional limitations allowing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has turned from former ally to political enemy, to serve only one term, Ms. Duterte is the leading contender to succeed him in 2028. However, if found guilty, she would be removed from office and banned from holding any political office in the future.
Ms. Duterte is accused in impeachment proceedings of misusing public funds, amassing illicit wealth, and intimidating Mr. Marcos, his wife, and the former Speaker of the House of Commons, all of which she has denied.
The announcement came just one day of unrest inside the heavily guarded Senate, with reports of gunfire and escalating tensions after a senator supporting President Duterte, who had taken refuge inside the building, informed supporters that he was about to be arrested and extradited to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands.
Meanwhile, President Duterte visited her father in The Hague this week, stating that her legal team is preparing information for the case. She also blamed Marcos for the political turmoil, accusing the Philippine leader of using state resources to try to eliminate political rivals and emphasizing that the country is in disarray solely due to Marcos's administration.