But the court said the impeachment vote violated a constitutional rule against multiple impeachment processes within a single year. A court official said the ruling Friday only stops the impeachment process but does not absolve Duterte of the allegations. The manoeuvre puts off any potential new impeachment actions until February 2026.
Political Implications for Duterte
The court's decision allows Sara Duterte to firm up her position and perhaps pave the way for a presidential bid in the run-up to the 2028 general elections. The impeachment bid had grabbed national attention but was already running into obstacles in a landscape of shifting political alliances in the months following the general election in May.
The elections became a high-stakes battle between Duterte and Marcos, and Duterte's allies gained far more Senate seats than expected—a setback for the current administration. The 15-member Supreme Court, which rejected Pillode and ruled in Duterte's favour, is largely made up of her father's appointees, further underscoring the political context of the ruling.
Impeachment Trials in Philippine Politics
Impeachment has been a divisive and rare process in the Philippines. Only one impeachment case has ended in conviction since the country returned to democratic rule in 1986 — that of the former Supreme Court Chief Justice, Renato Corona, in 2012, for failing to declare all his assets. An earlier high-profile example was the impeachment of President Joseph Estrada in 2001, which was aborted after huge street protests and hastened his departure from office.
With the Supreme Court's recent decision, Sara Duterte emerges from this scrap of legal wrangling without immediate legal jeopardy; now is the time to consolidate her political base as the country gears up for its next elections.
