Latest news with #RodrigoDuterte
Time Magazine
43 minutes ago
- Politics
- Time Magazine
How a Philippine Court Handed Duterte Family Another Victory
The Philippines' notorious Duterte family has won another victory in the uphill battle it has been waging since earlier this year. The family's patriarch, former President Rodrigo Duterte, was detained at the International Criminal Court in March on charges of crimes against humanity. His daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, was impeached a month earlier over alleged corruption and threats against ally-turned-nemesis President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. Opponents hoped the Dutertes' unprecedented influence in the Southeast Asian nation may be coming to an end. But a midterm election in the spring proved that the political dynasty is here to stay. And on Friday, the country's top court handed the family a win, ruling that an impeachment case filed against Vice President Duterte in February was unconstitutional due to a technicality. A spokesperson for the court said Friday that the impeachment was barred by a provision in the Philippine charter stating that 'no impeachment proceedings shall be initiated against the same official more than once within a period of one year.' The lower chamber of the Philippine Congress received at least four separate cases of impeachment against the Vice President between December and February—though only one was transferred to the Senate, which would have served as the impeachment tribunal. While the court clarified that it 'does not absolve' Vice President Duterte of the charges, its ruling on the impeachment spares her from any other impeachment attempt until February 2026. 'It is not our duty to favor any political result,' the Supreme Court's ruling said. 'Ours is to ensure that politics are framed within the rule of just law.' The Vice President has framed the impeachment complaint against her as politically motivated, especially as she emerges to be a strong contender for the presidency come 2028. Her defense counsel said in a statement that the court's decision 'upheld the rule of law and reinforced the constitutional limits against abuse of the impeachment process,' but clarified that they are 'prepared to address the allegations at the proper time and before the appropriate forum.' Political observers, however, tell TIME that the court was instead reinforcing the legacy of the Duterte family, and that the decision does save their legacy and paves the way for a future presidential victory. Duterte appointed 12 of the 15 justices sitting in the Philippine Supreme Court during his Presidency. The ruling 'bolsters impunity and hiding behind legal technicality as part of the Duterte legacy,' Aries Arugay, who chairs the University of the Philippines' Department of Political Science, tells TIME. Richard Heydarian, a senior lecturer at the same university, says that while another impeachment complaint could be initiated against the Vice President next year, it nips future efforts in the bud. 'I don't think the idea that we can come back to this after another year is really politically feasible,' Heydarian tells TIME. 'It's all about momentum. It's all about public attention. It's all about political inertia.' The Dutertes enjoy significant popularity in the Philippines, having branded themselves as tough-talking, hard-on-crime politicians. This popularity has stuck despite many issues—particularly on the part of the family's patriarch, who led a bloody war on drugs that killed thousands while he was chief executive. (He's now facing trial in the Hague because of this drug war, but has denied wrongdoing.) Meanwhile, the younger Duterte revealed in November an assassination plot against President Marcos, who her family has been at odds with after an alliance that got them elected in the 2022 national elections fell through. She has also been hounded by allegations of misuse of more than $10 million in public funds as vice president and former Education Secretary. For many Filipinos, particularly those victimized under the elder Duterte's presidency, his arrest and his daughter's impeachment served as a reckoning. The Philippines' presidential office said it would respect the court's decision. But the court's junking of the Vice President's impeachment has raised concerns about its integrity. Heydarian notes that the ruling 'undermines faith' in the Supreme Court, and 'resurrect' suspicions against the justices former President Duterte appointed. Rep. Leila de Lima, a lawmaker who was incarcerated under the leadership of President Duterte due to trumped up drug charges, questioned the procedures behind the ruling and asserted that the 'public deserves an explanation,' but argued that 'this is not vindication. This is not exoneration.' Jean Encinas-Franco, a professor of political science at the University of the Philippines, however, says that 'to the everyday Filipino, this may mean that the VP has been acquitted.'
ABC News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Supreme court rules impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte is unconstitutional
Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte has scored a big legal win after the country's Supreme Court struck down an impeachment complaint against her, ruling that it was unconstitutional. The lower house of Congress had impeached Ms Duterte in February, accusing her of misusing public funds, amassing unusual wealth and threatening to kill Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the First Lady, and the House Speaker. The court said it was not absolving Ms Duterte of the charges, but the ruling may nevertheless be a huge boost for her political ambitions. She is widely seen as a strong contender for the 2028 presidency, which Mr Marcos cannot contest due to a single-term limit for Philippine presidents, but an impeachment trial conviction would have seen her banned from office for life. Ms Duterte has said the move to impeach her, which came amid a bitter feud with Mr Marcos, was politically motivated. "This unanimous decision has once again upheld the rule of law and reinforced the constitutional limits against abuse of the impeachment process," her lawyers said in a statement. Ms Duterte is the daughter of firebrand former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is now in the custody of the International Criminal Court over his bloody war on drugs. He has denied wrongdoing. In a unanimous decision, the country's top court agreed with Ms Duterte's contention that Congress violated a constitutional safeguard against more than one impeachment proceeding against the same official within a year. More than 200 members of the lower house had endorsed the fourth impeachment complaint to the Senate, having not acted on the first three filings. "The articles of impeachment, which was the fourth complaint, violated the one year period ban because there were three complaints that came ahead of it," Supreme Court spokesperson Camille Ting told a media briefing. As a result, the Senate then did not have the authority to convene an impeachment tribunal, the court added. Mr Marcos has distanced himself from the proceedings against his estranged Vice President, saying the government's executive branch cannot intervene in the matter. His office said on Friday the court's decision must be respected. A spokesperson for the Senate said the upper chamber was duty-bound to respect the court's ruling. There was no immediate comment from members of the House prosecution panel, but a spokesperson for the lower house said that while it respects the court "its constitutional duty to uphold truth and accountability does not end here". The Supreme Court said a fresh complaint could be filed against Ms Duterte once the ban expires. "We remain prepared to address the allegations at the proper time and before the appropriate forum," Ms Duterte's lawyers said. Reuters
GMA Network
2 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
ICC grants Duterte camp request, defers deciding on interim release
"The Majority emphasises that the present decision shall not be construed as prejudging any matter to be determined in the context of the proceedings related to the interim release request, including in its eventual decision thereon," the ICC ruling said. The International Criminal Court has granted the request of the camp of former President Rodrigo Duterte to suspend the tribunal's decision on his request for interim release until his defense lawyers have collated all the needed supporting information. In a majority decision, the Pre-Trial Chamber 1 deferred the issuance of a decision on the interim release request until further action is undertaken by the Defence on the matter, or until the Chamber deems it appropriate. According to the decision, Judge María del Socorro Flores Liera dissented against the ruling concurred in by presiding Judge Iulia Antoanella Motoc and Judge Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou. The tribunal said that "interim release proceedings pursuant to article 60(2) of the Rome Statute may exclusively be triggered by the 'person subject to a warrant of arrest,' who preserves the right to submit a request for interim release, or not, at any point in time 'pending trial'." "Accordingly, and to ensure that a decision on the Interim Release Request is appropriately informed, the Majority considers it appropriate, in the circumstances, to defer the issuance of its decision on the interim release request until further action is undertaken by the defense on the matter, or until when the Chamber will deem it appropriate," the decision read. "The Majority emphasises that the present decision shall not be construed as prejudging any matter to be determined in the context of the proceedings related to the interim release request, including in its eventual decision thereon," it added. According to a redacted public copy of the defense's request before the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I, signed by Duterte's counsel, Atty. Nicholas Kaufman, filed on 14 July 2025 and made public on 18 July, the defense said the Pre-Trial Chamber should not make its first determination on interim release until certain materials, whose contents, according to them, were withheld in the public version, are made available to both the defense and the Chamber. 'At the time Mr Duterte's request for interim release was submitted on 12 June 2025, the Defence had been, for some time, seeking to obtain [REDACTED]… The Defence's attempts to obtain [REDACTED] over the course of two months have, for the most part, been slow-walked and stymied,' the filing read. The Duterte camp in June asked the ICC that he be released to a country, the name of which has been redacted from the copy of the urgent request for interim release posted on the ICC's website. According to the 16-page request, the undisclosed country has agreed to take in the former leader, who is facing charges of crimes against humanity in connection with the killings under his war on drugs when he was mayor of Davao City and when he was president of the Philippines. "Mr. Duterte does not meet any of the conditions to warrant further pre-trial detention as provided in Article 58(1)(b). He does not pose an objective risk of flight, nor is his arrest necessary to ensure the integrity of the investigations or to preclude the continued commission of crimes. He must, as a result, be immediately released from ICC custody," Kaufman said in his request for Duterte's interim release. –Celine Serquña, Jay-Vee Pangan, Andy Peñafuerte/NB, GMA Integrated News
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
War Crimes Court Delays Bail Decision on Ex-Philippine President
The International Criminal Court delayed its decision on whether to grant former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte temporary release from detention. In a statement issued Wednesday, the Hague-based court said it would hold off on the decision until Duterte's defense team takes further steps or until the Chamber finds it appropriate to act.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Trump Jibes Duterte For Philippines' China Pivot; Tells Marcos ‘It's Other President's Fault': Watch
In a surprising turn during Philippine President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr's White House visit, U.S. President Donald Trump took a subtly pointed shot at former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte — without naming him. Trump noted that the administration before Marcos Jr. 'did not know what they were doing.' 'I think I can say that the last administration was not getting along with them too well. They didn't get along with anybody,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Trump also cautioned the Philippines against pivoting anew to Beijing. 'You (Filipinos) did have a country that was tilting towards China for a period of time... I don't think that would be good for you [but] you can deal with China, you should deal with China,' he said. Meantime, Trump said that he is 'going to have a very good relationship' with Marcos Jr., noting he has 'known him and his family.' 'I know you have some problems with another president. I know it's not your fault. It's the [other] president's fault,' the American leader said. Trump did not name any other president, but the Philippines distanced itself from the United States during the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who forged closer ties with Beijing after Washington criticised his administrations drug war. Watch. Read More
