Philippines Votes in High-Stakes Midterm Election Amidst Political Turmoil

Hadisur Rahman, JadeTimes Staff

H. Rahman is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Asia

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Image Source: Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty Images

Millions of Filipinos cast their votes on Monday in a midterm election that is widely regarded as a referendum on the escalating feud between President Ferdinand Marcos and impeached Vice President Sara Duterte. The election will determine over 18,000 positions, including critical seats in the House of Representatives and various municipal offices.

The Senate race is particularly significant, as the 12 senators elected will form half of the jury in a forthcoming impeachment trial for Duterte, tentatively scheduled for July. This trial could result in her permanent disqualification from public office. In a rally speech last week, Duterte expressed her grievances, stating, “Who will really benefit if the Duterte family is gone from this world? Not the Filipinos, not the victims of crime, the unemployed, the poor or even the hungry.”

Duterte's conflict with Marcos intensified in February when she was impeached by the House for alleged “high crimes,” including corruption and an assassination plot against the president. She has denied these allegations, claiming that the assassination plot was presented as a hypothetical scenario. Compounding the political drama, her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested and taken to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to face charges of crimes against humanity related to his controversial anti-drug campaign.

As the election approached, Sara Duterte needed at least nine votes in the 24-seat Senate to maintain any hope of a future presidential run. Heading into the election, seven of the leading candidates were endorsed by Marcos, while four were aligned with Duterte. Notably, Imee Marcos, the president’s independent-minded sister, was recently adopted as an honorary member of Duterte’s PDP-Laban party, a strategic move aimed at bolstering support for the vice president amid her impeachment proceedings.

At her final rally in Manila, Duterte raised concerns about potential electoral fraud and referred to her father's transfer to the ICC as a “kidnapping.” Despite his legal troubles, Rodrigo Duterte remains a candidate for mayor in Davao City, where he is expected to win comfortably according to local polls.

In preparation for the election, national police have been on high alert, deploying approximately 163,000 officers to secure polling stations and maintain order. The country has a history of election-related violence, and recent weeks have seen at least 16 fatalities, including a city council hopeful and a polling officer.

In a separate incident, police arrested a group at Cebu airport for transporting 441 million pesos (nearly $8 million) in cash, a violation of election regulations designed to prevent vote-buying. Investigations into these incidents are ongoing.

As the Philippines navigates this politically charged environment, the outcome of the midterm elections could have profound implications for the future of its leadership and governance.