The development will escalate the quarrel between two of the country’s most powerful families.
The Philippines’ Vice President Sara Duterte has been impeached amid an ongoing feud between her family and the president Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Of the 306 politicians in the country’s lower house, 215 backed her impeachment on Wednesday.
Duterte, whose father Rodrigo is a former president, is accused of alleged misuse of public funds and of threatening to have Marcos Jr, the son of a former dictator, assassinated.
Her and her family say the charges are politically motivated.
Although they ran as allies and won a landslide victory in the 2022 elections, Duterte and Marcos Jr soon fell out. One of their disagreements has been over their country’s relationship with the US and China.
Marcos Jr has brought the country closer to Washington again, rowing back on the policies of his predecessor, Duterte’s father, who had pivoted more towards Beijing.
Duterte’s impeachment case will be heard by the country’s Senate, but a date has not been set for the occasion.
If found guilty by a two-thirds majority, the vice president will be barred from public office, preventing her from running for president in 2028. Marcos Jr will have to step down that year, as presidents can only serve one six-year term in the Philippines.
Although Duterte did not immediately respond to news of her impeachment, her brother Paolo, who is a congressman, did.
“If the Marcos administration thinks it can push this sham impeachment without consequence, they are gravely mistaken,” he said.
The House of Representatives has been investigating the alleged misuse of 612.5 million pesos (€10.1m) by Duterte’s offices during her time as vice president and education secretary. She resigned from the latter role in July last year.
