Philippine Senate tries Sara Duterte in second impeachment
Rule ChangesVice president faces removal and a lifetime ban from office, with her 2028 presidential bid on the line
May 18th, 2026: Senate convenes as impeachment courtNew here? Follow stories to track developments over time. Create a free account to get updates when stories you care about change.
Overview
Updated May 18The Philippine Senate put on judicial robes Monday and opened the second impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. The House charges her with stealing public money, hiding wealth, and plotting to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. killed.
Sixteen of the 24 senators must vote yes to remove her. A conviction also bars her from public office for life, which would end her 2028 run for president.
The court is sitting in a chamber that, five days ago, was the site of gunfire and a leadership coup by senators loyal to her family.
Why it matters
A conviction ends the Duterte dynasty's path back to the presidency in a US treaty ally hosting nine American military sites.
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Timeline
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People Involved
Organizations Involved
The 24-member upper house, where 23 senators have been sworn in as judges and 16 yes votes are needed to remove Duterte.
The 300-seat lower chamber that voted 257-25 to impeach Duterte and sent 11 of its members as prosecutors.
The Hague-based court holding Rodrigo Duterte and now seeking custody of Senator dela Rosa over Philippine drug-war killings.
Timeline
November 2024 May 2026
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Senate convenes as impeachment court
Latest LegalSenators are sworn in as judges, Duterte is given 10 days to answer, and the prosecution gets five more after that. The trial timeline is now set.
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Gunfire in the Senate as dela Rosa evades ICC arrest
Security IncidentArmed men try to enter the Senate's second floor. The sergeant-at-arms fires a warning shot. Dela Rosa slips out of the building. The House transmits the articles the same day.
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House impeaches Duterte for the second time
VoteLawmakers vote 257-25, with nine abstentions, on four articles covering confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery, and the murder plot.
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Pro-Duterte senators replace Senate president
Power ShiftThirteen senators oust Tito Sotto and install Alan Peter Cayetano. Senator dela Rosa returns from months in hiding to provide a vote.
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Supreme Court denies reconsideration with finality
Court RulingThe en banc court rejects the House appeal, clearing the legal path for a fresh complaint after February 6.
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Supreme Court voids first impeachment
Court RulingThe court rules the complaint violated the constitutional one-year bar, blocking any new case until February 2026.
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Senate remands articles to the House
LegalSenators send the articles back, citing constitutional concerns and ducking a politically risky trial in an election year.
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House files first impeachment complaint
LegalMore than a third of House members sign the fourth complaint of the cycle, sending it directly to the Senate without committee review.
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Duterte makes assassination threat on livestream
StatementOn a late-night online broadcast, Duterte says she has hired someone to kill Marcos, the first lady, and the House speaker if she is killed first.
Historical Context
3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
Joseph Estrada impeachment (2000-2001)
The House impeached President Joseph Estrada on charges of taking bribes from illegal gambling and stashing money under a fake name. The Senate trial collapsed on January 16, 2001, when 11 pro-Estrada senators voted to keep a sealed envelope of bank records out of evidence.
The prosecution panel walked out. Days later, the EDSA II protests pushed Estrada from office and Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was sworn in.
Estrada was later convicted of plunder in 2007 and pardoned by Arroyo. The case set the modern template for impeachment fights in Manila, including the chamber-counting and procedural votes now shaping the Duterte trial.
Estrada shows how a Philippine impeachment can end without a verdict on the merits. Cayetano's bloc could replicate the 2001 procedural exit and spare Duterte a vote on the articles.
Renato Corona impeachment (2011-2012)
The House impeached Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona on charges of hiding millions of dollars in undeclared assets. The Senate trial ran for five months and produced televised testimony about his dollar accounts and properties.
On May 29, 2012, the Senate convicted Corona 20-3 on the unexplained-wealth article. He was removed and barred from public office.
Corona is the only Philippine official ever convicted in a Senate impeachment trial. The case showed that hidden-wealth charges, with documentary proof, can clear the two-thirds bar.
Corona is the prosecution's blueprint. The second article against Duterte targets unexplained wealth in her SALN filings, the same legal theory that beat Corona.
Park Geun-hye impeachment (2016-2017)
South Korea's National Assembly impeached President Park Geun-hye over a corruption and influence-peddling scandal involving her confidante Choi Soon-sil. The Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment unanimously on March 10, 2017.
Park was removed from office and arrested weeks later. A new election brought Moon Jae-in to power.
Park was convicted of bribery and abuse of power, sentenced to more than 20 years, and pardoned in 2021. The case redrew the South Korean political map and ended her party's grip on the presidency.
Park shows how an East Asian democracy can use impeachment to remove a dynastic political figure mid-term and reshape the next election cycle. The 2028 stakes for Duterte mirror that dynamic.
