Why does the Philippine vice president’s impeachment trial matter?

The impeachment trial of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte has begun. Duterte faces allegations of corruption, bribery and an assassination plot against former ally, President Ferdinand Marcos. 

Tomas Buenaventura, Philippines Senior Research Assistant, said: 

“The impeachment trial is highly significant for the Philippines’ political future. It will not only determine whether Duterte is barred from running for president in 2028, but also whether the Senate is willing to act on a high-profile corruption case that could set a precedent for years to come. 

“Sara Duterte is the first Philippine official to face impeachment twice. The last impeachment process fizzled out before it got to trial as lawmakers wanted to remain cautious about advancing the complaints ahead of the 2025 midterm elections. This time, that caution did not triumph: despite several attempts by the Duterte camp to gain control of the Senate and put an end to the impeachment attempts, the trial is taking place as planned. 

“This signals an advancement for the anti-Duterte opposition, made up of both the Marcos base and a loosely allied leftist-liberal opposition. It is smaller than the Duterte base of support, which recent surveys find is still the largest political bloc in the Philippines. But the anti-Duterte opposition has been increasingly more vocal: since 21 September 2025, when a wave of anti-corruption demonstrations rocked the country, ACLED recorded at least 44 anti-Duterte demonstrations, compared to at least 16 pro-Duterte demonstrations.

“More than 6,000 police officers were deployed to secure the Senate on Monday, where pro- and anti-Duterte demonstrators converged, highlighting the salience of this trial for both sides of the political spectrum.”