Campaigning began in the Philippines Tuesday for mid-term elections that could set the table for the next presidential race and determine the political future of impeached Vice President Sara Duterte.

Campaigning began in the Philippines Tuesday for mid-term elections that could set the table for the next presidential race and determine the political future of impeached Vice President Sara Duterte.

Campaigning for the Philippines' midterm elections kicked off on Tuesday against a fractured political backdrop, heightened by a high-profile row among warring elites that culminated in last week's impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.

The long Christmas season cross-wires the Filipino psyche. The revelry, intertwined with the traditional financial burden of social obligations, creates a duality of blessedness and frustration.

Vice President Sara Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives for threatening to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and for allegedly misusing public funds.

The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte will most likely start after the State of the Nations Address (SONA) on July 21 under the 20th Congress, Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero said Monday.