Philippine House plenary approves VP Sara Duterte's impeachment

The House of Representatives of the Philippines on Monday secured the required number of votes to impeach Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte. Articles of impeachment will be transmitted to the Senate for the trial.

Lawmakers voted 255 in favor, 26 against and nine abstained. The affirmative votes met the constitutional threshold of at least one-third of the House, or 106 votes.

The articles of impeachment accused Sara of corruption, assassination plots, inciting sedition, and patterns of abuse, among others, and will be moved forward to the Senate for trial.

Sara announced her intention to run for the country's presidency in 2028 in February.

Under the Philippine Constitution, the Senate has the sole authority to try and decide impeachment. If more than two-thirds of senators vote to impeach her, she will be convicted and removed from office, and barred from holding public office for life.

Sara was absent from the plenary vote. Local media reported that the Philippine Office of the President approved her application for an overseas trip from May 2 to May 15. Earlier this month, she traveled to The Hague, the Netherlands, and visited her father, Rodrigo Duterte, in detention at the International Criminal Court.

(With input from Xinhua)