Explainer: Philippines VP Duterte’s impeachment, anti-corruption or another political spectacle

The Philippine House of Representatives (HoR) is continuing its hearings on two approved impeachment complaints against the country’s vice president, Sara Duterte, erstwhile ally now bitter political rival of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Endorsers of the two approved complaints for her removal and perpetual disqualification from government say the process is Constitutional and is an attempt for accountability in the country with a notoriously-corrupt government.

But will her impeachment finally put an end to widespread government corruption, or is it just part of a common spectacle among warring political interests in the Philippines?

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What is VP Duterte being accused of?

Foremost among the allegations against the country’ second highest elected official is graft and corruption. She is being accused of siphoning hundreds of millions of irregular confidential and intelligence funds that a former aide claimed he was ordered to deliver to deliver to Duterte’s law school acquaintances and friends.

The Philippine Commission on Audit (CoA) flagged financial reports submitted by Duterte and said her disbursements were “disallowed.” COA ordered her offices – the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education that she headed in 2022 to 2023 – to return P448 million (Dh28 million) composed of P375 million covering confidential funds for 2023 and P73.28 million in 2022.

Duterte is also being charged of “betrayal of public trust” when she threatened the lives of Marcos and her wife Liza, as well as former HoR Speaker and Marcos cousin Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

Sara said in a late night rant when her chief of staff and bosom friend Zuleika Lopez was ordered arrested by the HoR in 2025: “I have already left instructions. If I die, don't stop until you have killed them [Marcos, Liza, and Romualdez]. No joke. No joke." 

The Committee on Justice is currently focusing on Duterte and husband Manases Carpio’s statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN). Despite Duterte’s Supreme Court petition to stop the proceedings and Carpio’s motion before a local court to leave their personal finances alone, House Committee on Justice (CoJ) member Rep. Terry Ridon said they already have copies of the couple’s SALN, revealing they are worth P88.5 million (Dh5.53 million) in 2024, a steady increase from P71 million she became vice president in 2022.

What are the chances of her 2nd impeachment?

Duterte was in fact already impeached in 2025, but the Philippine Senate that is empowered to conduct the hearing delayed the proceedings until the Philippine Supreme Court (SC) decided on procedural questions. The SC eventually decided that the HoR committed Constitutional violations and technical errors in its haste to put Duterte to trial.

This explains why the HoR justice committee hearings are taking a long time this time to submit its decision to the plenary for an impeachment vote.

The CoJ has thus far decided that two of the original four complaints are sufficient in form, substance and ground. It will then determine probable cause, one of the final steps before impeachment by the HoR and elevation to the Senate for a full trial.

Allies of Marcos both in the HoR are confident that Duterte will again be impeached. The new leadership in the Senate had in fact already organised a crash course in impeachment proceedings for its non-lawyer members in anticipation of a full-blown trial.

A total of 16 votes in the 24-member Senate are needed to convict Duterte. It is unsure if Marcos’ allies in the Senate already have the number, but with Duterte-aligned Senator Ronald de la Rosa in hiding from a feared International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant and with another possible ICC arrest warrant for Sen. Bong Go, the numbers are tilting in favor of a conviction.

What happened to Marcos’ own impeachment case?

Duterte’s supporters have been asking why only the vice president is being prosecuted. The immediate answer is: numbers.

The Makabayan Coalition of progressive lawmakers and a few opposition legislators had in fact filed impeachment complaints against Marcos in January this year. Their allegations center on Marcos submitting and signing his government’s 2023 to 2026 national budgets that were full of irregular insertions funding substandard or even “ghost” flood control projects worth hundreds of billions annually. Whistleblowers such as erstwhile Marcos-Duterte ally and former HoR appropriations committee chairperson Elizaldy Co allege that he organised kickback deliveries to Marcos and Romualdez through their respective subordinates.

But, in the Philippines, Congress is always controlled by whoever is in power, often through pork barrel funds (as the current flood control mess has demonstrated) and public work project budgets. This has been the norm in Philippine politics; it had been the country’s bane during Duterte’s father’s Rodrigo’s term and this is how Marcos appears to be doing it as well.

As president who has control of the funds, Marcos has the pliant politicians with him. As a now-opposition official, Sara Duterte does not.

Why is it important for the world to know?

Last January, the Philippines became the first country in the world to have its two top elected officials facing impeachment complaints based on corruption. Senators, congressmen, other government officials and employees – and even some members of the judiciary – have been reportedly involved in graft and corruption.

The country’s Office of the Ombudsman conservatively admits that 20 percent of national funds are lost to corruption, translating to P700 billion (Dh43.75 billion) annually. This leads to economic underdevelopment, lack of social services, and – as shown by the hostilities between the Marcos and Duterte camps – political instability.

It also explains why a huge chunk of the country’s best workforce is seemingly desperate to work abroad due to shortage of opportunities at home, leading to frustration with their government.