MANILA: The Philippine lower house on Wednesday impeached Vice President Sara Duterte, the daughter of the country's firebrand former leader, setting the stage for a rare, high-profile trial in the Senate. The impeachment stemmed from allegations Duterte misused public funds while vice president and education minister, amassed unexplained wealth, and threatened the lives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the first lady and the lower house speaker. She has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
The impeachment comes amid a bitter rift between her and Marcos that has played out in public following the collapse of a powerful alliance between their families that brought them a landslide victory in the 2022 election. The impeachment complaint was received by the Senate shortly after 215 of the 306 lower house lawmakers endorsed it amid cheers and applause. The 33-page complaint was filed on the grounds of culpable violation of the constitution, graft and corruption, other high crimes, and betrayal of public trust. A representative of Duterte did not immediately respond to a request for comment. — Reuters
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