Filipino Vice President Sara Duterte was impeached on February 5, 2025, over corruption allegations and an assassination plot against current president Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. 215 out of 306 legislators in the Lower House of Representatives of the Philippines signed an impeachment complaint against Duterte to send it to the Senate. Among those who signed the complaint are the President, his wife, and the House Speaker. The complaint urged the Senate to make an impeachment court and try the Vice President, according to CNN. This petition was successful, and Duterte’s trial is set to begin in July.
President Marcos was the son of the late Ferdinand Marcos Sr. who was greatly considered by many in the Philippines as an iron-fisted dictator and was ousted in a rebellion in 1986. Vice-President Duterte is the daughter of the previous President Rodrigo Duterte, who was known heavily for his “War on Drugs.” The War on Drugs was a campaign utilized by the former President to crack down on drug usage and dealing in the Philippines. However, Amnesty International reports that his violent methods and clear intent to kill, many among those including children, shed light on his questionable methods. Due to this, Duterte is currently being investigated by the International Criminal Court for his campaign being a crime against humanity due to its brutal nature. These two political powerhouses converged in the election of 2022, however, the rifts started to form consequently, leading Filipino citizens to wonder what will happen with the current democracy.
Grievances against the current Vice President stemmed from hefty death threats she made against her running mate, President Bongbong Marcos, whom she joined office with in 2022.
In November of 2024, Duterte stated that she would have the President assassinated in the event she was killed. In a press conference, Duterte stated, “I have talked to a person. I said, if I get killed, go kill BBM (Marcos), (first lady) Liza Araneta, and (House Speaker) Martin Romualdez. No joke, no joke.” Duterte said. “I said, do not stop until you kill them and then he said yes.” Moreover, Duterte voiced her own strong opinions against the President: “This country is going to hell because we are led by a person who doesn’t know how to be a president and who is a liar.” This statement set off multiple investigations and security concerns surrounding the current President. Despite this, Duterte later dismissed these concerns and stated she was only concerned about her safety when making these remarks.
Moreover, concerns were raised against Duterte for corruption when she was named Education Minister. CNN reports that she was investigated for a month by the House of Representatives for allegedly misusing 612 million pesos (approximately $10 million) of her allocated intelligence funds to her office. In addition, Duterte was accused of unexplained wealth and, as required by Philippine law, failure to declare wealth. Regarding these confidential funds, Duterte said in a press conference, “I will not explain.” Consequently, Duterte resigned from her education post after these allegations.
Filipino citizens expressed their anger against the Vice-President as well. In late January, thousands of Filipino citizens protested for the removal of Duterte from office with signs reading, “Impeach Sara Now!” Al Jazeera writes that police counted 4,000 protesters involved in the rally, while the government deployed 7,400 riot police.
In response to the allegations against her, Duterte held a press conference where she took no questions. Rappler writes that Duterte stated she has no plans to resign and said, “God save the Philippines.” To her supporters, she stated, “Have faith because victory lies with the people.” Toward the end of another press conference where she did take questions, Duterte said getting your heart broken was worse than the announced impeachment, “You know, it’s more painful to be left by your boyfriend or girlfriend than to be impeached by the House of Representatives.” Despite the rift between Marcos and Duterte, Marcos stated to the press regarding the impeachment that it was “None of [his] business.” He further adds that this impeachment couldn’t solely be through his power or influence: “Again, this constant implication that I am somehow giving instructions, making utos [orders]— to do this, do that — that’s not the case at all. That’s not how it works.”
There is political upheaval in the Philippines that has been slowly building up since President Marcos and Vice-President Duterte were elected to office in 2022. Filipino citizens are currently frustrated with the state of their government, and one can hope that true justice will prevail for democracy in the Philippines.
