MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, launched the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday in what is shaping up to be one of the most politically explosive legal proceedings the country has seen in years — unfolding amid a deep and bitter feud between Duterte and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Authorities deployed more than 6,000 police officers, including anti-riot units, around the Senate building as both supporters and opponents of Duterte were expected to gather outside. According to a pretrial plan reviewed by The Associated Press, Duterte or her legal team may appear at the outset of the proceedings, which are scheduled to run for 92 days.
The charges against her include accumulating unexplained wealth, misusing confidential government funds, and publicly threatening to arrange the assassination of Marcos, his wife, and a former House speaker if she were killed as a result of their political conflict. Duterte has denied the allegations.
A guilty verdict could permanently disqualify her from ever holding public office again — a devastating outcome for someone who has publicly declared her intention to run for president in mid-2028, when Marcos is set to complete his six-year term. The two had been running mates in the 2022 elections, combining the political muscle of two of the Philippines’ most powerful dynasties, but their partnership quickly unraveled.
Sara Duterte is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who preceded Marcos in office. The elder Duterte was arrested last year on orders from the International Criminal Court and transported to The Hague, where he remains in detention. He was scheduled to face trial on November 30 over alleged crimes against humanity.
Those charges are rooted in the violent anti-drug campaign Rodrigo Duterte oversaw during his presidency, which left thousands of mostly impoverished suspects dead and drew sharp criticism from Western governments and human rights organizations. While he has denied ordering extrajudicial killings, he repeatedly made public threats against drug suspects while in office.
The vice president has placed the blame for her father’s arrest and transfer to the ICC squarely on President Marcos.
The two political figures also hold starkly different views on foreign policy. Marcos has deepened military cooperation with the United States, the Philippines’ treaty ally, and has taken a firm stance against China’s increasingly aggressive behavior in the contested South China Sea. In contrast, Rodrigo Duterte cultivated warm relationships with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin while threatening to distance the Philippines from Washington. Sara Duterte has drawn criticism for failing to speak out against China’s actions — including the use of powerful water cannons — against Filipino military personnel and fishermen in the disputed waters.
Last month, the House of Representatives, where Marcos’ political allies hold a commanding majority, voted by a wide margin to impeach the vice president. The articles of impeachment cited unexplained wealth, misappropriation of confidential government funds, and the public assassination threat.
While Duterte has broadly rejected the charges, she has declined to address them in detail publicly ahead of the trial. Her allies have characterized the impeachment as a politically motivated campaign orchestrated by Marcos and his inner circle to neutralize her and her Senate supporters.
To secure a conviction, at least 16 of the Senate’s 24 members — two-thirds of the chamber — must vote against her.
The trial comes as several senators aligned with the Duterte camp face serious legal troubles of their own. Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, who supports the Duterte family, was arrested last month on a nonbailable plunder charge tied to a flood-control project bribery scandal. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Another pro-Duterte senator, Rodante Marcoleta, is facing possible arrest on a nonbailable plunder charge stemming from allegations that he received large campaign contributions and failed to disclose them in his financial disclosures. Marcoleta has denied any irregularities.
A third senator, Ronald dela Rosa, has gone into hiding after the ICC issued an arrest warrant naming him as a co-perpetrator in the killings carried out during the Duterte administration. Dela Rosa previously served as Rodrigo Duterte’s national police chief and was the first to implement the then-president’s deadly crackdown on illegal drugs.
