THE IMPEACHMENT of the vice-president of the Philippines, Sara Duterte, on May 11th marked the start of a dramatic week in Manila. The spectacle ramped up(加剧，升级) on May 13th when pro-Duterte senators holed up(躲藏，隐匿) in the Senate building, claiming to be under violent siege by government law enforcers. The chaotic scenes, unusual even by the notorious standards of Philippine politics, speak to what is currently on the line(处于危险中，利害攸关): the kind of leadership that will take over the country from 2028.
5月11日，菲律宾副总统萨拉·杜特尔特被弹劾，标志着马尼拉戏剧性一周的开始。5月13日，亲杜特尔特的参议员躲进参议院大楼，声称正遭政府执法人员的暴力围困，局势进一步升级。这些混乱场面，即使以菲律宾政治臭名昭著的标准来看也属罕见，表明了眼下利害攸关的是什么：从2028年起掌控国家的将是何种领导层。
Ms Duterte, the daughter of Rodrigo Duterte, a former strongman(强人，铁腕人物) president, represents one of the country’s two most powerful political clans. In 2022 she hitched her fortunes to(将自己的命运与……捆绑) the leader of the other one, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, whose own father was a corrupt, violent dictator. Bongbong rode to the presidency(成功登上总统宝座) on their combined ticket. Then the two fell out(闹翻，决裂) spectacularly.
杜特尔特女士是前强人总统罗德里戈·杜特尔特的女儿，代表了该国两大最强政治家族之一。2022年，她将自己的命运与另一个家族领袖费迪南德·“邦邦”·马科斯捆绑在一起——后者的父亲曾是一位腐败、暴力的独裁者。邦邦凭借两人的联合竞选登上了总统宝座。后来两人彻底闹翻。
For Mr Marcos’s backers, with a solid majority in the House, the impeachment is a chance to finish off(彻底击败，终结) Ms Duterte and her clan (whose power and politics is rooted in gun-ridden(枪支泛滥的) Mindanao in the south, where feuding(世仇，长期争斗) starts before breakfast). The Senate must now put Ms Duterte (pictured) on trial; conviction requires a two-thirds majority and would prevent her standing for president in 2028. Yet the president’s sway in the Senate is tenuous(脆弱的，薄弱的). For now Ms Duterte is still the favourite to take the Philippines’ top job in two years’ time.
对于在众议院拥有稳固多数席位的马科斯支持者而言，弹劾是彻底击垮杜特尔特女士及其家族的机会（该家族的权力基础植根于南部枪支泛滥的棉兰老岛，那里的人在早餐前就开始结仇）。参议院现在必须对杜特尔特女士（如图）进行审判；定罪需要三分之二多数票，并将阻止她参加2028年总统选举。然而，总统在参议院的影响力十分脆弱。目前来看，杜特尔特女士仍然是两年后菲律宾最高职位的热门人选。