• Philippine Supreme Court strikes down impeachment complaint against Sara Duterte.
• The ruling grants Duterte reprieve from ousting until February 2026.
• Concerns of political motivations behind impeachment amid Duterte-Marcos tensions.

The Philippine Supreme Court has delivered a significant legal victory for Vice President Sara Duterte by ruling that an impeachment complaint against her was unconstitutional. The court determined that the lower house's impeachment vote violated a constitutional prohibition on multiple impeachment proceedings within a year, thus blocking the trial at least until February 2026, although it did not absolve her of the alleged charges, including misuse of public funds and threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and others, according to BBC and Al Jazeera.

This ruling not only shields Duterte from immediate political peril but also provides her with additional time to consolidate support for a possible candidacy in the 2028 presidential elections, as current President Marcos is limited to a single term. Legal analysts have suggested that this outcome improves her position significantly, considering that a conviction in an impeachment trial could have led to a lifetime ban from holding office, reports Reuters and BBC.

Despite her legal reprieve, impeachment complaints have previously been perceived as politically motivated actions tied to the strained relations between Duterte and Marcos, marking a contentious period in Philippine politics. Duterte's lawyers emphasized that the unanimous court decision "upheld the rule of law and reinforced the constitutional limits against abuse of the impeachment process," indicating a significant precedent for future cases, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.