MANILA: The Philippine Senate will convene as an impeachment court on May 18 for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, its president Alan Peter Cayetano said on Thursday.
Duterte was accused in an impeachment complaint of misusing public funds, accumulating unexplained wealth and threatening the lives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, his wife and the former House speaker, which she denies.
The complaint by activists, religious groups and lawyers was backed on Monday by 257 lawmakers, easily passing the required threshold of one-third of house seats, with 25 voting against and nine abstentions.
With her ally-turned-enemy Marcos limited by the constitution to a single term in office, Duterte, 47, has been the clear favorite to succeed him in 2028, but the impeachment could derail her bid.
The Senate must now convene a trial with its members as jurors and if convicted, she faces removal from office and a ban from politics.
