In March 2025, her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested following a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with his war on drugs campaign while he was mayor of Davao and later president of the Philippines271. He was accused of committing crimes against humanity, with an estimated 30,000 people believed to have been victims of extrajudicial killings during the campaign272. The arrest was allegedly aided by Marcos Jr., but the president denied any role in the arrest and dismissed claims of political motivation273. As the Philippines held its midterm elections on May 12, 2025, narratives about Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest and Sara Duterte’s impeachment dominated social media platforms. The results of the election appeared to benefit the Duterte camp. Impeaching the vice president requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate, meaning 16 of the 24 senators must vote against Sara Duterte to remove her from office. A conviction would also bar her from seeking public office. To survive impeachment, she needs at least nine senators to vote for her acquittal274. This raised the stakes for the 12 available Senate seats in the midterm elections, as they could determine her political future, including a potential presidential run in 2028. The midterm results showed that pro-Duterte candidates won five of the 12 Senate seats275, five others were aligned with Marcos Jr., and the remaining two went to the opposition. However, before the senators could convene the impeachment tribunal, the Supreme Court in July 2025 blocked an impeachment trial against Sara Duterte, ruling it unconstitutional276, 277. The court said the House of Representatives—whose majority endorsed the vice president’s impeachment in February 2025—had violated a constitutional safeguard prohibiting more than one impeachment proceeding against the same official within a year278. “Duterte Case: The Prosecutor vs. Rodrigo Roa Duterte.” International Criminal Court, www.icc-cpi.int/ philippines/duterte. 272. “Philippines Election Results: Who Won, Who Lost, and What’s Next.” Al Jazeera, 13 May 2025, www. aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/13/philippines-election-results-who-won-who-lost-and-whats-next. 273. Wee, Sui-Lee. “Philippines: Duterte’s Arrest and Marcos’s Grip on Power.” The New York Times, 12 Mar. 2025, www.nytimes.com/2025/03/12/world/asia/philippines-duterte-arrest-marcos.html. 274. Lema, Karen. “Down, Not Out: Philippines Election Gifts Duterte Shot at Political Survival.” Reuters, 13 May 2025, www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/down-not-out-philippines-election-giftsduterte-shot-political-survival-2025-05-13. 275. Cerojano, Teresa. “Philippines Mid-Term Election: Duterte’s Senate Bid.” AP News, 17 May 2025, apnews. com/article/philippines-midterm-election-duterte-senate-6e612ed03aa880fc3a5a4c9f2456f727. 276. Guinto, Joel, and Koh Ewe. “Philippine Court Strikes Down Landmark Impeachment Bid Against Sara Duterte.” BBC News, 25 July 2025, www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgk3k2ln00no. 277. “Supreme Court Blocks Impeachment Case Against Sara Duterte.” ABC News, 25 Jul. 2025, www.abc.net. au/news/2025-07-25/supreme-court-blocks-impeachment-case-against-sara-duterte/105575838. 278. Ibid. 271. 63