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Duterte empire on brink of collapse as trial preparations begin against daughter

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The political dynasty of drugs war madman Rodrigo Duterte is on the brink of collapse as impeachment trial preparations begin against his daughter in the Philippines.

Footage shows Reginald Velasco, secretary-general of the House of Representatives, inspecting the Senate hall in Metro Manila on March 18.

It comes just days after her father was arrested by the International Criminal Court in The Hague on charges of crimes against humanity.

The Senate will serve as an impeachment court where Duterte's daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, will be tried on alleged corruption charges. The trial was set to start on July 30, after the nation's senatorial elections.

Sara has decried the charges as political persecution amid a bitter fallout with her rival President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The row was also believed to have resulted in the arrest of drugs war architect Rodrigo, who has been flown to The Hague in the Netherlands to face charges in the International Criminal Court.

The House of Representatives, many of whom are allies of the president, had last month impeached Sara over charges of corruption and conspiracy to assassinate Marcos Jr. and his family. A total of 215 out of 306 legislators - well above the 102 required to pass the bill - had signed the ouster.

The controversial but popular Sara had forged an alliance with Marcos Jr. that saw a landslide win in the 2022 national elections. However, their partnership has since unravelled over various clashes regarding issues such as diplomacy and the country's territorial dispute with China.

Incumbent president Ferdinand Marcos Jr., known by his nickname 'Bongbong', is the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., whose decades-long reign was marked by cronyism, rampant corruption, and human rights abuses.

The notorious Marcos family had plundered state coffers of more than 10 billion USD. The endemic corruption was symbolised by Imelda Marcos' extravagant collection of art and more than 3,000 pairs of designer shoes.

In 1995, a U.S. federal jury in Hawaii awarded nearly two billion USD in damages to 10,000 Filipino victims who suffered human rights abuses under Marcos's martial law regime.

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