Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Manila on Friday, demanding the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte amidst allegations of misconduct and misuse of public funds, Al Jazeera reports.
The rally, attended by an estimated 4,000 people, saw demonstrators carrying placards and chanting slogans calling for Duterte’s removal from office. Police deployed 7,400 riot officers to oversee the demonstration.
The protests come in the wake of three formal impeachment complaints filed against Duterte, alleging she misused millions of dollars in government funds during her tenure as Education Secretary under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. These complaints have yet to be addressed by the Philippine Congress, which is scheduled to adjourn next week ahead of the May midterm elections.
Representative Percival Cendana, a vocal supporter of one of the impeachment complaints, urged his colleagues to act swiftly. He argued that inaction “condones the impunity, the abuse of power and the harassment that Duterte is doing to our country’s leaders.”
Impeachment proceedings require the backing of one-third of the House of Representatives, followed by a two-thirds vote in the Senate for removal. However, the appetite for action on the complaints appears to be waning following a large pro-Duterte rally earlier this month, which drew an estimated 1.5 million participants and raised questions about the political will within Congress. Furthermore, the House Secretary General has indicated that the body is awaiting a possible fourth complaint before referring the matter to the Speaker.
Duterte, 46, who ran on a unity ticket with Marcos in the 2022 elections but has since publicly split with the president, has vehemently denied all allegations. She has characterized the impeachment efforts as politically motivated attacks. Notably, the Vice President remains the constitutional successor to Marcos, should he be unable to fulfill his duties.
Since her falling out with Marcos last year, Duterte has also been accused of threatening the president, the First Lady, and the Speaker with assassination. In October, she reportedly told journalists that her relationship with Marcos had grown so “toxic” that she sometimes imagined beheading him.
President Marcos himself has urged Congress to refrain from pursuing Duterte’s impeachment, dismissing it as a “storm in a teacup” that would divert the legislature from its key responsibilities.
The controversy surrounding Vice President Duterte is further complicated by her family ties. Her father, Rodrigo Duterte, is the former president known for his controversial war on drugs, which is currently under investigation by the International Criminal Court.
