Vice President Sara Duterte speaks during a press conference at her office in Manila on December 11, 2024. Philippine lawmakers on February 5 voted to send articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte to the Senate, a day before the current congressional session was set to end. (Photo by TED ALJIBE / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The two-thirds vote needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial聽will not be attainable if all candidates under the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) slate enter the next Senate.
This is what PDP-Laban candidate Jayvee Hinlo promised supporters at the party鈥檚 proclamation rally at Club Filipino in San Juan City on Thursday.
鈥淚f we enter the Senate together, they will not have the two-thirds vote, no impeachment will happen,鈥� Hinlo said.
鈥淓ven if the House of Representatives does 100 impeachment complaints, no impeachment will happen,鈥� he added. 鈥淰P Sara, we are your allies. Nothing will happen to you.鈥�
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PDP-Laban is chaired by former President Rodrigo Duterte.
READ: VP Sara Duterte impeachment trial starts after Sona 鈥� Escudero
Vice President Duterte was impeached on Feb. 5 by a petition signed by 240 House lawmakers.
The complaint was immediately transmitted to the Senate for a trial, but the upper chamber of Congress went on break for the election season without discussing the impeachment petition.
Despite calls for a special session to try the case against Duterte, Senate President Francis 鈥淐hiz鈥� Escudero said the trial would start in the next Congress.