Philippine lawmakers back petition seeking Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment

A petition seeking the impeachment of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, the daughter of the country's former president, received the required support on Wednesday of more than a third of lower-house lawmakers, paving the way for a trial in the Senate.

House Secretary General Reginald Veslasco told reporters there was a sufficient number of signatures on the petition to impeach Duterte. A source familiar with discussions told Reuters nearly 200 lawmakers had so far signed it.

The grounds for impeachment were not immediately clear. Duterte has consistently denied wrongdoing and described moves against her as a political vendetta.

A bill of impeachment will go to the upper house, where the 23 senators would serve as jurors in proceedings that could result in the removal of Duterte and her lifetime disqualification from holding office.

"It will be presented to the plenary and once it's approved, it's automatically transmitted to the Senate," Velasco said.

Asked to comment on the petition, a media officer of Duterte said it was "a waiting game".

The moves to impeach Duterte come amid a bitter rift between her and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr 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 row reached a dramatic crescendo when Duterte in a November press conference said she had contracted an assassin to kill Marcos, the first lady and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the president's cousin, if she herself were killed. She later said her remarks was taken out of context.

Marcos, for his part, has said he does not support her impeachment but has no power over the legislative branch.