The Senate leader in the Philippines states that the impeachment complaint against the vice-president cannot be addressed until June.

The Philippine Senate will only be able to address the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte on June 2, when Congress reconvenes after the midterm elections, Senate President Francis Escudero stated in a briefing on Thursday.

Escudero explained that senators, who will serve as jurors, must first take an oath while Congress is in session before they can formally act as an impeachment court. "Legally, it cannot be done," he emphasized.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Duterte, the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte. The complaint accuses her of misusing public funds during her tenure as vice president and education minister, accumulating unexplained wealth, and making threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the first lady, and the speaker of the House. Duterte has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

This impeachment makes her the second-highest-ranking Philippine official to face such proceedings, following former President Joseph Estrada in 2000.