Overview
- The Senate convened as an impeachment court on Monday to hear four articles accusing Vice President Sara Duterte of misusing public funds, amassing unexplained wealth, bribery, and making an assassination threat.
- More than 6,000 police officers, including anti‑riot units, were deployed around the Manila Senate to secure hearings and manage large pro- and anti-Duterte demonstrations expected during the trial.
- Prosecutors have sought an extended schedule for evidence and a pretrial plan seen by news outlets outlines a months‑long calendar with National Bureau of Investigation witnesses due to testify early about the alleged assassination threats.
- A conviction requires two‑thirds of the 24‑member Senate, or 16 votes, and senators are deeply divided after recent leadership fights and criminal charges affecting several Duterte allies.
- The outcome could bar Duterte from holding office and reshape the 2028 race; the trial also unfolds against wider pressure on the Duterte faction, including Rodrigo Duterte’s ICC case and recent arrests and charges involving allied senators.