Philippine Senate Opens Sara Duterte Impeachment Trial, Putting 2028 Bid at Risk
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jul 6
Philippine Senate Opens Sara Duterte Impeachment Trial, Putting 2028 Bid at Risk
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jul 6
Summary
Twenty-one of 24 senators opened Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial in Manila, the first such Senate case against a sitting Philippine vice president.
Corruption allegations and Duterte's public threat to have President Bongbong Marcos assassinated underpin the case; she denies wrongdoing and calls it political harassment.
A maximum 92-day trial is now set to move a long-running Marcos-Duterte feud into the Senate, with Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian urging "impartial justice" and due process.
Thousands of police ringed the Senate amid fears of unrest after weeks of protests, an alleged shooting and the arrest of Duterte ally Rodante Marcoleta hours before proceedings.
A conviction would bar the 48-year-old from running for president in 2028, turning the trial into a major test of both camps' Senate and public support.