Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte faces additional impeachment complaints

MANILA, Philippines — Members of the Philippine clergy filed an impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, marking the third legal challenge aimed at removing her from office in just over a week.

The latest complaint accuses Duterte of embezzling at least $8.5 million in public tax funds. It also cites an alleged assassination threat she made against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during a press conference, an incident the vice president later claimed was misinterpreted.

Under the Philippine constitution, an impeachment leads to a trial in the Senate. A conviction would permanently bar Duterte from holding political office, disqualifying her from a potential run for the presidency in 2028.

Last week, civil society leaders and members of a leftist coalition filed separate impeachment complaints against Duterte.

Duterte, the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, was previously impeached by the House of Representatives last year. However, the Supreme Court dismissed that case citing procedural issues.

The escalating push to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte signals the definitive collapse of the political alliance between the Marcos and Duterte dynasties, marking an all-out effort to neutralize a formidable rival ahead of the 2028 presidential elections.

The "UniTeam" coalition, which secured a landslide victory for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Duterte in 2022, has been replaced by open hostility. Manila’s political establishment is increasingly weaponizing allegations of corruption and incitement to violence to erode the Vice President’s influence—long considered the frontrunner to succeed Marcos.

This domestic power struggle carries profound implications for Philippine foreign policy and regional stability. Under the Marcos administration, Manila has executed a decisive pivot back toward Washington, adopting an assertive posture against Beijing’s maritime claims in the South China Sea. This stands in sharp contrast to the Beijing-friendly stance championed by the Duterte family, particularly former President Rodrigo Duterte. Continued political volatility in Manila now threatens the continuity of this strategic shift.

For regional neighbors like Vietnam, the stakes are high. A consolidation of power by the Marcos camp would likely strengthen a unified ASEAN front among South China Sea claimant states. Conversely, should the Duterte faction survive this onslaught and successfully undermine the President, Manila’s foreign policy could return to a state of unpredictability, potentially fracturing regional consensus and complicating collective efforts to manage maritime disputes.