President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he will not interfere with the Senate’s upcoming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, stressing the importance of letting the constitutional process unfold independently.
“Impeachment is already in the Senate,” Mr. Marcos said in a podcast yesterday.
“Let them handle it. There’s a process. Let’s allow the process to take its course,” he added.
The President added that he prefers to move past political wrangling and focus on governance.
“For me, the election is over — it’s time to get back to work,” he said.
Duterte is facing impeachment over allegations of grave abuse of power, misuse of confidential and intelligence funds during her time as education chief, and violation of ethical standards for public officials.
The House of Representatives impeached Duterte after 215 lawmakers endorsed the fourth impeachment complaint, expediting its approval and sending it to the Senate for trial.
Critics said the use of P125 million in confidential and intelligence funds by the Department of Education under Duterte in 2022 lacked transparency and legal basis.
Duterte has denied any wrongdoing, saying the funds were used legally and for “lawful and urgent” operations.
Malacañang earlier described Duterte’s recent remark about wanting a “bloodbath” in her possible impeachment trial as “somewhat violent,” expressing hope that the comment was not to be taken literally.
“The response of our Vice President was somewhat violent. We hope it’s just a figure of speech,” said Palace Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro during a press briefing.
Duterte made the comment over the weekend while addressing mounting political tensions surrounding calls for her impeachment.
Her statement has since drawn scrutiny, with critics calling it inflammatory.
As this developed, House Deputy Majority Leader Lorenz Defensor, a key member of the House prosecution panel, rejected the Vice President’s description of the impending impeachment trial as a “bloodbath,” saying the proceeding is not about spectacle or animosity, but about truth and accountability.
Defensor said both sides—the prosecution and the defense—should be fully prepared to present their case before the Senate, which will convene as an impeachment court once the 20th Congress opens.
“Maybe it would be better to say that this impeachment trial is ‘winner takes it all.’ It doesn’t have to be a bloodbath. We want the evidence of the prosecution and the defense teams to be laid out clearly,” he opined.
“I want to see that the Vice President is ready [with her defense], so in case she is acquitted… the outcome will easily be accepted by the people, easily accepted by the 215 members of Congress who signed the impeachment complaint. And hopefully, our Supreme Court will not interfere in the impeachment. This is a purely political process,” Defensor pointed out.
Duterte over the weekend defended the need for a trial, saying the public should not prejudge the outcome.
“I don’t know how the senators will vote. If at all, there will be a trial, I think it is wrong to start counting votes now because they haven’t seen the evidence yet. They haven’t seen what the prosecutors have. They haven’t seen what our defense is,” she said.
“As lawyers, we know how lawyers operate. They have many ways in the law as a legal recourse for their clients. But I already told them, really, I truly want a trial because I really want a bloodbath,” Duterte added.