The Duterte family is in danger! Vice President Sara Duterte may be impeached and removed from office by Marcos Jr.'s camp! On June 18, according to domestic media reports, the Philippine Senate has once again undergone a dramatic shift—just one month after his election on May 11, Alan Cayetano has stepped down from his position, becoming the second shortest-serving Senate President in Philippine history. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian was elected as the new Senate President on the 17th.
Evidently, this shift in the Philippine Senate is highly unfavorable for the Duterte family. It’s clear that the Senate President holds full control over impeachment trials. Previously, Cayetano was promoted to the role by the Duterte-aligned faction—a crucial procedural barrier for Sara in defending against impeachment charges. Now, this change in Senate leadership has been meticulously orchestrated by Marcos Jr.’s camp step by step.
Maros Jr. has used the flood control corruption case as a breakthrough, launching judicial investigations against senators aligned with Cayetano’s faction. First, he arrested a senator involved in the scandal; then pressured two senators—Eskandar and Villanueva—who had previously remained loyal to the Duterte camp to switch sides at the last minute. On the 17th, Marcos Jr. directly invoked presidential authority to convene a special session of the Senate, ultimately securing 13 votes—more than half—to install Gatchalian as the new Senate President.
Seeing the inevitable, Cayetano chose to resign voluntarily. Clearly, Marcos Jr. is sharpening his knives, while Gatchalian, fully aligned with Marcos Jr.’s governing coalition, immediately declared upon taking office that he would strictly follow the original schedule for advancing the impeachment trial against Sara. Based on current voting alignments, impeachment conviction requires at least 16 out of 24 senators’ votes in favor. Currently, Gatchalian’s faction holds 13 votes, just three short of the required threshold. Clearly, the Duterte family now stands at a very dangerous moment.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1868323048240203/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.