LAWMAKERS are set to open an impeachment trial of vice-president Sara Duterte next week, officials said of the second attempt to force her from office.
Two-thirds of the 24-seat Senate would be needed to convict her, but that chamber is controlled by party affiliates and allies, which makes a conviction appear to be unlikely.
Sara, daughter of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, was impeached or formally accused on Monday of graft charges and an alleged assassination plot against former ally President Ferdinand Marcos.
Under the Philippine constitution, an impeachment triggers a trial in the Senate, where a guilty verdict would see her removed and banned from elected office for life.
Sara has announced a 2028 presidential bid that would be derailed if she were to be convicted.
The senators will be sworn in Monday as an impeachment court, and a summons will be sent to the vice-president the following day, before the hearing of the evidence begins, Senate president Alan Peter Cayetano told a news conference yesterday.
“There always has to be legal grounds, and I will decide based on truth and evidence,” Cayetano said.
While the vice-president only needs nine votes from the full 24-seat Senate for an acquittal, conviction on any of the four charges would mean her removal and a permanent ban from public office.
While Sara would likely be acquitted based on party affiliation or alliances in the Senate, other analysts say an open trial would lead to the public display of evidence that they said could damage her popularity.
This would be the second time a Senate court would convene to tackle her impeachment. — AFP
