The Philippines Senate convened an impeachment court Monday (May 18, 2026) for the trial of Vice-President Sara Duterte over criminal charges, in a time of deep divisions that erupted into an exchange of gunfire last week in the chamber.

The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to impeach Mrs. Duterte last Monday (May 18, 2026) over alleged unexplained wealth, misuse of state funds and a public threat to have the president assassinated if she herself were killed due to their political disputes.

The Vice-President, who has announced her plan to seek the presidency in 2028, has denied the charges but has refused to answer the allegations in detail.

Her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, has been detained by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of crimes against humanity. The charges stem from anti-drugs crackdowns he ordered while in power that killed thousands of mostly petty suspects.

Ahead of the impeachment trial, 13 of 24 senators led by allies of the Dutertes suddenly wrested the presidency of the Senate last Monday (May 18, 2026), leaving the outcome of the trial in question.

The Vice-President has blamed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., her former ally and running mate in the 2022 election, for “kidnapping” her ailing father, referring to his arrest and transfer to the international court in The Hague last March.

The escalating disputes between the country’s two top leaders reflect the deep divisions that have long plagued the rambunctious Asian democracy.

One of the senators, Ronald dela Rosa, served as Mr. Duterte’s national police chief and enforced his bloody crackdowns on illegal drugs. The ICC has named Sen. dela Rosa as a co-conspirator and unsealed a warrant for his arrest last Monday (May 18, 2026).

That same day, Sen. dela Rosa, who was absent from the Senate for months for fear of arrest, suddenly showed up in the chamber to enable Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, a key ally of the Dutertes, to gain a slim majority and capture the Senate presidency.

Sen. dela Rosa told reporters he came out of hiding and went to the Senate using President Alan Peter Cayetano’s van but was nearly arrested by National Bureau of Investigation agents. He dashed into a stairway and ran to the Senate plenary hall, where Mr. Cayetano and other allies placed him under the chamber’s “protective custody.” A tense standoff between the Senate’s security personnel and government agents positioned in an adjacent government building escalated into an exchange of fire Wednesday (May 13, 2026) night with the Senate personnel firing what their chief, Mao Aplasca, said were warning shots.

Mr. Marcos appealed to the public to remain calm in a late-night call on national TV.

Mr. Cayetano later said that Sen. dela Rosa had disappeared from the Senate. Authorities said they were investigating the possibility that the exchange of fire may have been instigated to enable Sen. dela Rosa’s escape.

The Philippine Justice Minister ​said on Friday (May 15, 2026) the country will definitely ‌submit to a request from the International ​Criminal Court to arrest a ⁠top senator wanted for alleged crimes against humanity over his role in a bloody “war on drugs”. The warrant ‌for the arrest of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, the former police chief who ‌oversaw ex-President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody anti-narcotics crackdown, ‌is ⁠valid and the Philippines has received a ⁠request to serve it, Justice Secretary Mr. Fredderick “Eric” Aure Vida said. The ICC unsealed a warrant on Monday (May 11, 2026) for Sen. dela ​Rosa’s arrest, dated November. Sen. dela Rosa, had been taking refuge at the Senate but slipped out before dawn on Thursday (May 14, 2026) in what his wife ‌called an “escape”.

His whereabouts are unknown.

“We will definitely ​submit to the request of the ICC,” Mr. Vida told reporters on Friday (May 15, 2026).

“We ⁠will treat any attempt by Sen. dela Rosa to leave the country as a mockery ‌of justice,” he said, adding that he has already given orders to arrest him if he tied to flee.

Sen. dela Rosa has filed an emergency appeal at the Supreme Court, arguing the International Criminal Court (ICC) has no ‌jurisdiction after the Philippines’ 2019 withdrawal from the Rome ​Statute. He denies involvement in illegal killings. Mr. Duterte is currently in ICC detention ⁠following his arrest and transfer last year and is ⁠set to become first former Asian head of state to go on ‌trial in The Hague. He is accused of crimes against humanity and has denied ​wrongdoing.

A Philippine senator wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for an alleged crime against humanity has fled from the Senate, where he sought refuge to evade arrest, officials said Thursday (May 14, 2026).

Sen. Ronald dela Rosa‘s exit from the heavily guarded Senate came after volleys of gunshots were fired Wednesday (May 13, 2026) night by the building’s security personnel during an argument with a government agent, sparking chaos that apparently helped the senator to slip out.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made a late-night TV statement to ask the public to remain calm. A police investigation was underway, including into suspicions that the incident was instigated to provide Sen. dela Rosa a cover to escape.

“There is no obstruction of justice,” Senate President Alan Cayetano said of Sen. dela Rosa’s escape while in the Senate’s protective custody.

He told a news briefing that he did not see any ICC warrant of arrest against Sen. dela Rosa and the senator was free to leave the premises.

Critics, however, said Mr. Cayetano and the Senate’s security chief should be held responsible for Sen. dela Rosa’s escape.

Sen. dela Rosa, 64, served as the former national police chief of Mr. Rodrigo Duterte, who was president from 2016 to 2022. Mr. Duterte was arrested in March last year on a ICC warrant for alleged crimes against humanity in connection with deadly anti-drugs crackdowns he launched and for which he is now facing a trial in The Hague.

A warrant unsealed Monday (May 11, 2026) by the ICC charges Sen. dela Rosa with the crime against humanity of murder of “no less than 32 persons” between July 2016 and the end of April 2018, when he led the national police force under Mr. Duterte and enforced his bloody crackdowns.

Sen. dela Rosa and Mr. Duterte have separately denied authorizing extrajudicial killings although the former president has openly threatened drug suspects with death while he was in office.

Sen. dela Rosa’s legal predicament came as political disputes escalated between the Mr. Duterte family and Marcos. Vice President Sara Duterte, the former president’s daughter, has blamed Mr. Marcos for what she said was the “kidnapping” of her father and handover to a foreign court.

The disputes reflect the deep divisions that have long plagued the rambunctious Asian democracy.

On Monday, (May 11, 2026) Mrs. Sara Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives, which is dominated by Mr. Marcos’ allies, over alleged unexplained wealth, misuse of state funds and a public threat to have Philippines (as of May 2026) is Mr. Marcos , his wife and the House speaker assassinated if she herself was killed in their intensifying conflict.

She has denied any wrongdoing but has refused to answer specific allegations in detail.

The Senate will convene into an impeachment court on Monday (May 11, 2026) at the earliest to prepare for the trial of the vice president, Mr. Cayetano said.

Mr. Cayetano, a key ally of Mr. Duterte, wrested the presidency of the Senate Monday (May 11, 2026) after he got the support of 13 of 24 senators. He gained the majority after Sen. dela Rosa, who has been absent for months due to fears of his possible arrest, suddenly showed up in the Senate Monday (May 11, 2026) , arriving in Mr. Cayetano’s car.

National Bureau of Investigation agents tried to serve the ICC arrest warrant, but Sen. dela Rosa darted toward a narrow stairway into the Senate plenary hall and sought the help of allied senators, who took him into protective custody.