THE rift between two of the Philippines' most powerful political dynasties—the Marcoses and the Dutertes—continues to dominate headlines. The May 12, 2025, midterm elections concluded with both camps securing significant seats in the Senate, the only body authorized to try impeachment cases, including the historic case against Vice President Sara Duterte over alleged misuse of government funds.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s party, Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas (ABP), won six seats in the Senate’s “Magic 12.”
Meanwhile, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP–Laban), endorsed by former President Rodrigo Duterte (FPRRD)—now detained at the International Criminal Court in The Hague—secured three seats. Both parties raised concerns that the election results did not align with pre-election surveys.
In a media interview on May 17 after a Thanksgiving Mass at the Carmelite Church in Davao City, Duterte said she is ready for a “bloodbath” as the impeachment trial looms.
“In full throttle na ‘yung kanilang preparation for the impeachment. And, of course, they would not want a trial as lawyers. As lawyers, alam naman natin ang galawan ng mga abogado, ‘no, marami silang mga paraan sa batas as a legal recourse for their clients. But sinabihan ko na rin talaga sila: really, I truly want a trial because I want a bloodbath talaga (Their preparations for the impeachment are already in full throttle. And of course, as lawyers, they would rather avoid a trial. We all know how lawyers operate — they have many legal strategies and remedies for their clients. But I’ve already told them: really, I truly want a trial because I genuinely want a bloodbath," Duterte told local reporters.
She added that she is at peace with whatever outcome the Senate decides. “Wala akong expectations of acquittal or guilty verdict. Basta sa akin lang ay tatanggapin ko na kung ano yung magiging verdict. Whether guilty man yun or not guilty, I'm already at peace. At hindi ko alam kung paano boboto ang mga senators. If at all, there will be a trial, I think it is wrong to start counting votes now because they haven't seen evidence yet. They haven't seen what the prosecutors have. They haven't seen what our defense is (I don’t have any expectations of either acquittal or a guilty verdict. For me, I will accept whatever the verdict will be. Whether it’s guilty or an acquittal, I’m already at peace. And I don’t know how the senators will vote. If there will be a trial, I think it’s wrong to start counting votes now because they haven’t seen the evidence yet. They haven’t seen what the prosecutors have. They haven’t seen what our defense is.”
To avoid removal from office, Duterte needs at least nine votes for acquittal.
The current senatorial lineup of the 20th Congress includes six members from Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas (Alyansa): Erwin Tulfo, Panfilo Lacson, Vicente Sotto III, Pia Cayetano, Lito Lapid, and Camille Villar — the latter of whom was endorsed by Vice President Sara Duterte at the last minute. Sara also endorsed re-elected Senator Imee Marcos, who started as an Alyansa senatorial bet.
Duterte dismissed allegations that she avoided addressing the confidential funds controversy. She clarified that although she attended House hearings, no lawmakers directly questioned her.
“Actually, nagtataka ako sa narrative nila. There was one time, meron akong narinig na interview sa isang tao, na nagsabi siya na, how can you support the Vice President when she refuses to answer the question about confidential funds. But if you can remember, um-attend ako sa hearing ng House of Representatives. Una, um-attend ako. I refused to take an oath because wala naman sa rules nila. But wala silang tinanong sa akin kung maalala nyo, i-review ninyo yung hearing. Not one question was asked of me (Honestly, I’m puzzled by their narrative. I once heard someone in an interview say, ‘How can you support the Vice President when she refuses to answer questions about the confidential funds?’ But if you recall, I attended the House of Representatives hearing. I did attend. I refused to take an oath because it wasn’t required by their rules. But if you review that hearing, you’ll see — they didn’t ask me a single question." Sara said.
She recounted that after initially refusing to take an oath due to the absence of such a requirement in the House rules, she eventually agreed. “I said, ‘Okay, let’s do this. I’ll take an oath.’ But they never asked me a single question,” she said, expressing confusion over claims that she was avoiding accountability. According to her, all summoned personnel from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) were present at the hearings, and it was they who responded to the questions.
Sara also pointed out that Undersecretary Leika Lopez was even detained during the proceedings, and she protested the House's procedures, which she believed were outside their established rules. Despite her objections, she agreed again to take an oath, but emphasized that not a single question was directed at her. She urged the public to review the hearing footage to see for themselves. Duterte added that all relevant documents had been submitted to the Commission on Audit (COA), which she emphasized is the proper authority to scrutinize government fund usage.
She further described the impeachment as politically motivated and designed to derail her potential 2028 presidential bid. She called it a “glorified disqualification case,” citing her strong 2022 electoral mandate of over 32 million votes, the highest for a vice president since 1969.
In May 2023, Duterte resigned from Lakas–CMD, citing "political toxicity" after her ally, former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, was demoted in the House. The fallout highlighted growing tensions within the ruling coalition, especially after Duterte’s confidential funds were reallocated.
In 2022, the OVP under Duterte requested P250 million in confidential funds and was granted P125 million, all spent in 11 days. COA later disallowed P73 million of that spending. In 2023, the OVP spent P375 million in confidential funds—more than the combined allocations of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, National Security Council, and National Bureau of Investigation.
In 2024, Duterte requested an additional P500 million for the OVP and P150 million for DepEd for confidential and intelligence expenses. The DepEd defended the request, claiming the funds were needed for intelligence gathering. Congress scrutinized the request, and Duterte accused critics of being "enemies of peace and the nation."
That same year, the House Committee on Good Government launched an investigation after the approval of the 2025 OVP budget was deferred. A former DepEd undersecretary alleged that Duterte distributed monthly cash gifts of P50,000, a claim later echoed by other officials. They said the practice stopped in late 2023 as the confidential fund controversy escalated.
Earlier in 2025, the House of Representatives impeached Vice President Duterte, the first such case in Philippine history. The vote passed with 215 votes, well above the two-thirds threshold of 102. Charges included corruption, betrayal of public trust, involvement in extrajudicial killings, and plotting to assassinate Speaker Romualdez, President Marcos Jr., and First Lady Liza Marcos.
Senate President Chiz Escudero announced that the trial will begin on July 30, with the Articles of Impeachment to be presented on June 2 and senator-judges to take their oaths on June 3.
Duterte has also filed a petition with the Supreme Court, challenging the validity of the fourth impeachment complaint, arguing it violates the constitutional "one-year bar" on repeated proceedings.
To date, only one impeachment process in Philippine history—against Chief Justice Renato Corona—has resulted in conviction and removal from office. Impeachment efforts against other top officials, including President Joseph Estrada and Ombudsmen Merceditas Gutierrez and Andy Bautista, ended in resignation or dismissal of the case. DEF