PHA little over halfway through her term, Vice President Sara Duterte is facing an impeachment complaint stemming from allegations of fund misuse, threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and failure to condemn Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea, among other issues.
Although Marcos instructed his allies in Congress not to file any impeachment complaint against the Vice President, House leaders had said that they cannot stop any efforts by individuals or groups seeking to oust Duterte.
The first impeachment complaint, filed by civil society groups on Monday, December 2, comes amid growing political tensions between Marcos and Duterte, who ran together on a platform of unity in 2022.
Duterte’s departure from the Marcos Cabinet in June marked the collapse of the once formidable “Uniteam” alliance. Since parting ways with her former running mate, the Vice President has been in full battle mode.
Political observers suggest that an impeachment case against the Vice President could gain traction in the House, given the growing rift between Duterte and lawmakers. However, the situation would likely be very different in the Senate, which often operates independently of the administration.
According to the Constitution, “a vote of at least one-third of all the Members of the House shall be necessary either to affirm a favorable resolution with the Articles of Impeachment of the Committee, or override its contrary resolution.”
Currently, the House has 307 members, which means at least 103 votes are needed for the case to be endorsed to the Senate.
“In case the verified complaint or resolution of impeachment is filed by at least one-third of all the Members of the House, the same shall constitute the Articles of Impeachment, and trial by the Senate shall forthwith proceed,” says Sec 3 (3) of Article XI.
The Senate will hold a full trial to decide all impeachment cases. If two-thirds of Senate members vote to convict an official, as outlined in the Articles of Impeachment, the official will be removed from office. This requires the approval of 16 out of the 23 current Senators. This also means that Duterte will only need 8 “No” votes to avoid conviction.
On Tuesday, December 3, Senate President Chiz Escudero urged his colleagues to refrain from making public statements about the impeachment complaint against Duterte, noting that senators may serve as “judges” if the move progresses.
How will the senators vote? Based on their current positions and previous statements — unless new factors come into play — the impeachment is unlikely to succeed in the Senate at the present time.
The Vice President is sure to get four allies in the upper chamber. They are the following senators:
Nothing is permanent in politics. The Vice President may feel confident now, knowing she has the numbers in the Senate, but that could change on any given day.
Credits: Bonz Magsambol
Although Marcos instructed his allies in Congress not to file any impeachment complaint against the Vice President, House leaders had said that they cannot stop any efforts by individuals or groups seeking to oust Duterte.
The first impeachment complaint, filed by civil society groups on Monday, December 2, comes amid growing political tensions between Marcos and Duterte, who ran together on a platform of unity in 2022.
Duterte’s departure from the Marcos Cabinet in June marked the collapse of the once formidable “Uniteam” alliance. Since parting ways with her former running mate, the Vice President has been in full battle mode.
Political observers suggest that an impeachment case against the Vice President could gain traction in the House, given the growing rift between Duterte and lawmakers. However, the situation would likely be very different in the Senate, which often operates independently of the administration.
According to the Constitution, “a vote of at least one-third of all the Members of the House shall be necessary either to affirm a favorable resolution with the Articles of Impeachment of the Committee, or override its contrary resolution.”
Currently, the House has 307 members, which means at least 103 votes are needed for the case to be endorsed to the Senate.
“In case the verified complaint or resolution of impeachment is filed by at least one-third of all the Members of the House, the same shall constitute the Articles of Impeachment, and trial by the Senate shall forthwith proceed,” says Sec 3 (3) of Article XI.
The Senate will hold a full trial to decide all impeachment cases. If two-thirds of Senate members vote to convict an official, as outlined in the Articles of Impeachment, the official will be removed from office. This requires the approval of 16 out of the 23 current Senators. This also means that Duterte will only need 8 “No” votes to avoid conviction.
On Tuesday, December 3, Senate President Chiz Escudero urged his colleagues to refrain from making public statements about the impeachment complaint against Duterte, noting that senators may serve as “judges” if the move progresses.
How will the senators vote? Based on their current positions and previous statements — unless new factors come into play — the impeachment is unlikely to succeed in the Senate at the present time.
The Vice President is sure to get four allies in the upper chamber. They are the following senators:
- Bong Go
- Bato dela Rosa
- Robin Padilla
- Imee Marcos
The Villars
In a press briefing on October 18, Duterte alluded to former Senate president Manny Villar being one of her advisers. She said that Villar told her the political attacks against her would continue, as she is viewed as a leading contender in the 2028 presidential elections.How about Estrada brothers?
Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said that “impeachment will only sow divisiveness and distract us from the urgent issues we must collectively address.” He made this statement in support of Marcos’ position against impeaching the Vice President.Support from ‘six bomb’?
Political analyst Arjan Aguirre said that the Vice President would likely secure the support of her four senator-allies and could potentially gain the additional four votes needed from ousted Senate President Migz Zubiri’s “seatmates” bloc, referred to as the “Six bomb.”Nothing is permanent in politics. The Vice President may feel confident now, knowing she has the numbers in the Senate, but that could change on any given day.
Credits: Bonz Magsambol
