Philippine Senate Opens Impeachment Trial for Vice President Sara Duterte

The Philippine Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, has opened the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte amid political turmoil and deep division.

The trial that opened on Monday came just days after chaos and a shootout in the upper house and a decisive change in its leadership, both stemming from the dramatic re-emergence from hiding of a pro-Duterte Senator wanted by the ⁠⁠International Criminal Court.

The high-stakes impeachment case could see the vice-president banned from holding public office, derailing her ambition to win the presidency in 2028.

“The trial of Vice President Sara Zimmerman Duterte is hereby open,” the Senate’s new president, Alan Peter Cayetano declared. The Duterte loyalist was installed as head of the upper house in a vote on May 11.

That vote was pushed over the line by Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who is accused by the ICC of crimes against humanity over his role in the violent “war on drugs” waged by the defendant’s father, Rodrigo Duterte, while president between 2016 and 2022.

Having been in hiding since the ICC warrant was reported to have been issued in November, he made a timely reappearance to cast his vote, placing Cayetano in a position to preside over the trial.

However, he also met police officers seeking to detain him on the ICC warrant. Fleeing into the Senate, he later absconded following a raid by soldiers and reports of gunfire.

The opening of the trial saw Sara Duterte, ‌‌47, given 10 days to respond to accusations that she has misused public funds, amassed unexplained wealth, and threatened the lives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the first lady, and a former House speaker.

Duterte, who in February announced she plans to contest the next presidential vote, has denied wrongdoing and has called the impeachment politically motivated.

Her defence team said it would comply with the court but would not comment on the trial. The court did not set a date for the start of trial hearings.

Duterte’s impeachment comes ⁠⁠with her father in ICC custody in The Hague. The former president is due to receive confirmation of charges against him, which include crimes against humanity due to his “war on drugs”, when tens of thousands were reportedly killed by death squads.

President Marcos and Sara Duterte are both part of powerful political families who ran together in the ⁠⁠2022 election, before a huge fallout that led to congressional scrutiny of the vice ⁠⁠president’s finances. Marcos later handed her father over to the ICC.

The president has sought to distance himself from the impeachment, saying it is a legislative matter.

Dozens of protesters rallied outside the heavily guarded Senate building on Monday, some voicing their support for Duterte, others calling for her conviction.

“Last week’s chaotic events have clearly demonstrated that the Senate, under the leadership of Duterte’s allies, will be converted into an institution that will protect the interests of the Dutertes,” protest leader Mong Palatino told Al Jazeera.

Others say that dela Rosa’s escape has reinforced a lack of trust towards politicians, and are calling for authorities to arrest him and politicians who helped him to evade accountability.

“To our dear senators, instead of seeking justice for victims of extrajudicial killings, you helped dela Rosa evade arrest, and you removed the former Senate’s president to shield Sara Duterte,” said Manette Castillo, the mother of a drug war victim.