Philippine vice president impeached by House, faces Senate trial

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives Wednesday after more than the required number of legislators, many of them allies of the president with whom she has had a bitter political feud, signed a petition to remove her from office.House of Representatives Secretary General Reginald Velasco told a plenary meeting of the lower chamber of Congress that at least 215 lawmakers have signed a petition to impeach Duterte, more than enough for the powerful House to impeach her.With enough endorsements by House legislators, the impeachment complaint was ordered transmitted to the Senate, which will serve as an impeachment tribunal that would try the vice president, the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte.The vice president, who didn’t immediately react to the House move to impeach her, and her father have been politically at odds with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.and his camp, including a majority of House legislators.The vice president, regarded as a possible presidential candidate after Marcos’s term ends in 2028, has faced at least four impeachment complaints by several legislators and left-wing activist groups over a range of issues.Those included a death threat she made against the president, his wife and House Speaker Martin Romualdez last year, irregularities in the use of her office’s intelligence funds and her failure to stand up to Chinese aggression in the disputed South China Sea.Only the latest impeachment complaint, accusing the vice president of violating the constitution, betraying the public trust, corruption and other high crimes, and signed by the 215 legislators would be sent to the Senate for her trial, according to legislators.Efforts to impeach the vice president may be hampered by a lack of time.The House impeachment came on the last day of congressional session before campaigning begins for midterm elections in May that would select new legislators for the House and Senate.A special session ...