Philippine vice president preparing for impeachment battle but silent on option to resign

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte said Friday that her lawyers were preparing for a legal battle in her upcoming impeachment trial but refused to say if resignation was an option so she could preempt a possible conviction that would bar her from running for president in the future.

Duterte was speaking for the first time since the House of Representatives impeached her Wednesday on a raft of criminal charges, including plotting to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assassinated, which she again denied. Marcos was her running mate in the 2022 elections but they have had a bitter falling out.

At the news conference, she underscored economic hardships and said the lives of Filipinos have become “much worse” due to skyrocketing costs of living.

"God save the Philippines,” Duterte said and asked her supporters to turn to social media to express their sentiments instead of holding street protests to avoid disrupting their lives.

A potential conviction and ban on Duterte holding office would be a major setback to one of the country's most prominent political families that has been perceived as veering toward China.

The impeachment complaint focused on the alleged threats to Marcos, irregularities in the use of office funds and Duterte's failure to stand up to Chinese aggression in the disputed South China Sea, according to proponents of the petition. The Senate is to take up the case when it reconvenes in June.

Marcos has boosted defense ties with Washington, Manila's longtime treaty ally, as the Philippines faced China’s increasing aggressive actions in the contested waters.

The vice president’s father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, nurtured cozy ties during his term with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin while threatening to end U.S. military engagements in the Philippines.

That backdrop has made the impeachment proceedings important to the United States and China, whose rivalry for influence looms large in the region, said Jean Franco, a political professor at the state-run University of the Philippines.

“China will lose a perceived ally if Duterte gets convicted,” Franco said. The U.S., which saw its alliance with Manila called into question under the previous Duterte administration, would benefit, she said.

Asked if she was considering resignation, a move that would preempt a possible conviction that would block her from running in the 2028 presidential elections, Duterte refused to give a categorical reply.

"We’re still too far from those matters,” she said, adding that a large number of lawyers have signed up to join her impeachment defense.

She reiterated that she was open to seeking the presidency in 2028 when asked, but added that she has to assess her chances. The vice president’s popularity rating has declined in independent surveys, but she is still regarded as a leading presidential contender.

"We’re seriously considering that but it’s difficult to decide without the numbers,” she said.

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Associated Press video journalist Joeal Calupitan contributed to this report.