PDP Laban: Vote wisely to protect VP Sara from impeachment, disqualification

Metro Manila, Philippines - Former President Rodrigo Duterte’s political party is rallying Filipinos to vote for senatorial candidates who are allies of his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, to prevent an impeachment conviction that could disqualify her from running in the 2028 presidential elections.

The Vice President, who has been impeached by the House of Representatives, will next face trial in the Senate sitting as an impeachment court. Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero expects the trial to carry over into the next Congress, which will consist of 12 incumbent senators whose terms end in 2028, along with newly elected senators from the May polls, serving as impeachment judges.

“As the election draws near, PDP Laban urges all Filipino voters to choose wisely who they will vote for, especially in the Senate where the fate of VP Sara will be decided,” the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan (PDP Laban) said in a statement on Thursday, Feb. 6, a day after the impeachment.

“At the end of the day, impeachment is a numbers game and the more allies she has in the Senate, the better for our country,” it added.

The former ruling party condemned what it called a “railroaded and sham impeachment,” claiming it was intended to distract the public from the country’s worsening problems and “to destroy the chances of VP Sara Duterte in seeking a higher office in 2028.”

Facing the media for the first time after her impeachment, Duterte reiterated that she is “seriously considering” running for President in 2028. Depending on the impeachment court's judgment, an official may be removed from office and disqualified from holding future public office, according to the Constitution.

House lawmakers have denied rushing the process after impeaching Duterte on their last session day with 215 signatures. Senators said they would need more time to convene as an impeachment court, and that without action in the plenary, this could only take place when the session resumes in June, unless President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. calls for a special session.

READ: June trial, special session: options in Duterte impeachment