Philippine House votes to impeach VP Sara Duterte
MANILA

Philippine lawmakers on Wednesday voted to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte, who has fallen out spectacularly with the country's leader, paving the way for a Senate trial that could see her removed from office.
While specifics of the impeachment were not divulged, the vote follows the filing of a trio of complaints in December accusing Duterte of crimes ranging from the "brazen misuse" of millions of dollars in public funds to plotting President Ferdinand Marcos's assassination.
"Having been filed by more than one-third of the membership of the House of Representatives, or a total of 215 members ... the motion is approved," House Speaker Martin Romualdez told lawmakers.
The fate of Duterte, daughter of the former president, now lies in the hands of the Philippines' 24 senators, two-thirds of whom must vote for her impeachment to remove her from office and disqualify her from future public positions. A trial date has yet to be set.
Wednesday's filing comes days before campaigning officially begins for mid-term elections, widely expected to set the table for the 2028 presidential race.
Whether 16 senators cast their vote for Duterte's impeachment could come down to President Marcos, Dennis Coronacion, chairman of the political science department at the University of Santo Tomas, told AFP.
"If [Marcos] is committed to this one, to the impeachment process, I think getting the required number of Senate votes is possible," he said, adding Wednesday's vote had come as something of a surprise.