PH Senate, sitting as impeachment court, begins trial of VP Sara Duterte

MANILA - The Philippine Senate, sitting as an impeachment court on Monday, opened the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, who if convicted faces a ban from holding public office that could derail her ambitions to become president in 2028.

The high-stakes trial comes against a turbulent political backdrop, just days after chaos and a shootout in the upper house and a decisive change in its leadership, both stemming from the dramatic re-emergence from hiding of a pro-Duterte senator wanted by the International Criminal Court.

"The trial of Vice President Sara Zimmerman Duterte is hereby open," said the Senate's new president, Alan Peter Cayetano.

Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, who is accused by the ICC of crimes against humanity over his role in a bloody "war on drugs", made a timely reappearance at the upper house on May 11 after six months in hiding, helping to install Duterte loyalist Cayetano as Senate president, placing him in a position to preside over the trial.

Sara Duterte, 47, was given 10 days to respond to accusations she misused public funds, amassed unexplained wealth, and threatened the lives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the first lady, and a former House speaker.

The court did not set a date for the start of trial hearings.

Duterte, who in February announced she will contest the next presidency, has denied wrongdoing and has called the impeachment effort politically motivated. Her defence team said it would comply with the court but would not comment on the trial.

SENATE BALANCE OF POWER SHIFTS

Analysts say the Senate leadership change triggered by dela Rosa's surprise return may have shifted the balance of power in a chamber that includes Duterte loyalists and aligned politicians.

Dela Rosa was not present on Monday having gone back into hiding. He is among the Senate's 24 members who will serve as jurors. A conviction requires two-thirds support.

"Given that we now have a new majority, thanks to the efforts of Senator Bato, it would make prosecuting Vice President Sara in the impeachment court a little more difficult," said Ederson Tapia, public administration professor at the University of Makati.

Duterte is undergoing her biggest political test and her impeachment comes as her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, awaits his own trial at the ICC over his deadly crackdown on drugs.

President Marcos and Sara Duterte are both scions of powerful political families who ran together in the 2022 election, before a huge fallout between them that led to congressional scrutiny of the vice president's finances and Marcos later handing her father over to the ICC.

Marcos has distanced himself from her impeachment, saying it is a legislative matter.

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the heavily guarded Senate building on Monday, some voicing their support, others calling for her conviction.

FUGITIVE SENATOR STILL IN PHILIPPINES

The brief return of Dela Rosa created drama that has gripped the Philippines, with the former police chief initially taking refuge in the Senate before a warning of his imminent arrest led to pandemonium, gunfire and his escape hours later.

The government on Friday confirmed it will seek dela Rosa's arrest.

Senator Robin Padilla, who Senate staff said was seen with dela Rosa when he fled, confirmed he was still in the Philippines but said he did not know his whereabouts.

Dela Rosa denies wrongdoing and has sought a Supreme Court injunction to block his arrest, arguing ​there is no legal basis to serve a warrant from a foreign court.

- Mikhail Flores, Eloisa Lopez and Lorenzo Lesaba; Editing by Martin Petty/Reuters