Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos warned on Wednesday (June 3, 2026) that important laws may be derailed as senators backing Vice-President Sara Duterte stopped attending sessions ahead of her impeachment trial next month. Pro-Duterte lawmakers began a Senate boycott this week after losing majority control, with one lawmaker arrested for large-scale corruption and another in hiding to avoid arrest by the International Criminal Court.

Political tensions escalate as Philippines Senate begins vice-presidential impeachment proceedings

“The legislature is now in disarray,” Mr. Marcos told reporters. “Get back to work because it’s important; we have a lot of work to do… We have to pass a lot of laws.” Mr. Marcos said his team was looking at possible laws and amendments to aid Filipinos as the West Asia war sends shockwaves through the global economy.

Philippine lawmakers vote to impeach Vice-President Sara Duterte

“We are trying to achieve some form of stability so that people can go on with their lives and plan ahead for their future; so that people can count on the assistance of government during this time of an emergency,” the President said. “We cannot do that if the legislature decides to stay at home and have a vacation.”

The Philippine Constitution states that the executive is co-equal to the legislature, limiting Mr. Marcos’s options. “We cannot tell them what to do; we cannot punish them for what they are doing. They have to regulate themselves. And they haven’t been doing much of a good job right now,” Mr. Marcos said.

Last month, the 13 lawmakers allied with Ms. Duterte took control of the 24-seat Senate just hours before the majority of the House of Representatives voted to impeach the Vice-President. Four days later, Ms. Duterte ally Ronald Dela Rosa fled after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against him.

Another pro-Duterte senator, Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, was arrested on Monday (June 1, 2026) for allegedly receiving kickbacks worth more than 573 million pesos ($9.3 million) over a flood control project. The resulting 11-11 deadlock means it is difficult to pass a bill into law unless senators cross party lines.

Ms. Duterte ally and Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano justified the boycott by saying the body is being “held by the throat” and that majority members are being eliminated. The Vice-President’s Senate impeachment trial is expected to begin on July 6.

Sara Duterte’s political future faces uncertainty as Philippine lawmakers vote for her impeachment

Philippine lawmakers voted on Monday (May 11, 2026) by a wide margin to send articles of impeachment against Vice-President Sara Duterte to the Senate, throwing her announced 2028 presidential run into doubt.

The articles of impeachment accuse the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte of graft, corruption, bribery and an alleged assassination threat against former ally President Ferdinand Marcos.

Under the Philippine Constitution, an impeachment triggers a Senate trial. A guilty verdict there would see Ms. Duterte removed from office and barred from elected office for life.