The Philippine Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, opened the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, against a backdrop of deep political division and recent chaos in the upper chamber.
The high-stakes trial comes just days after a shootout and a decisive leadership change in the Senate, both stemming from the dramatic re-emergence of a pro-Duterte senator wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.
If convicted, Duterte could be banned from holding public office, derailing her ambition to run for president in 2028.
“The trial of Vice President Sara Zimmerman Duterte is hereby open,” declared new Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, a Duterte loyalist who was elected to the post on May 11.
The vote was pushed through by Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who is accused by the ICC of crimes against humanity for his role in the deadly “war on drugs” waged by Duterte’s father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, from 2016 to 2022.
Dela Rosa, who had been in hiding since an ICC warrant was reportedly issued in November, made a timely reappearance to cast his vote, enabling Cayetano to preside over the trial.
However, he also encountered police officers seeking to detain him on the ICC warrant. Fleeing into the Senate building, he later escaped following a raid by soldiers and reports of gunfire.
The trial’s opening gave Sara Duterte, 47, 10 days to respond to accusations of misusing public funds, amassing unexplained wealth, and threatening the lives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the first lady, and a former House speaker.
Duterte, who announced in February she plans to run for president in the next election, has denied wrongdoing and called the impeachment politically motivated.
Her defense team said it would comply with the court but would not comment on the trial. No date was set for the start of evidentiary hearings.
The impeachment comes as her father remains in ICC custody in The Hague, facing charges of crimes against humanity for the drug war that allegedly killed tens of thousands.
President Marcos and Sara Duterte, from powerful political families, ran together in the 2022 election before a falling out that led to congressional scrutiny of the vice president’s finances. Marcos later handed her father over to the ICC.
The president has sought to distance himself from the impeachment, calling it a legislative matter.
Dozens of protesters rallied outside the heavily guarded Senate building on Monday, some supporting Duterte, others calling for her conviction.
“Last week’s chaotic events have clearly demonstrated that the Senate, under the leadership of Duterte’s allies, will be converted into an institution that will protect the interests of the Dutertes,” protest leader Mong Palatino told Al Jazeera.
Others said dela Rosa’s escape reinforced a lack of trust in politicians and called for his arrest, along with those who helped him evade accountability.
“To our dear senators, instead of seeking justice for victims of extrajudicial killings, you helped dela Rosa evade arrest, and you removed the former Senate president to shield Sara Duterte,” said Manette Castillo, mother of a drug war victim.
Source: www.aljazeera.com