Metro Manila, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appears to have softened his stance on impeachment, signaling that he will not block the filing of another complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, despite earlier statements opposing the process.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace press officer Claire Castro said that the president would allow the impeachment process to proceed if lawmakers determine it is supported by evidence.
“He will respect the process. If the process requires that it be filed based on the evidence, the President will respect the process,” Castro told reporters on Monday, Jan.12.
Asked whether this marks a departure from Marcos’ earlier opposition to impeachment, Castro pointed to the President’s instruction to apply the same standards used in other major investigations.
“The only response he gave me was that whatever treatment is being applied to the investigation of anomalous flood control projects should likewise be applied to the filing or investigation of the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara,” Castro said.
Marcos previously issued a past warning that impeachment could derail the passage of priority legislation in Congress. Castro said recalling that position was a matter of interpretation.
“I don’t think he said that impeachment would be a hindrance,” she said, adding, “We can read between the lines. We should treat the impeachment complaint, if it is filed, the same way as the thorough and wide-ranging investigation into anomalous flood control projects.”
Earlier this year, Marcos publicly said he did not want his former ally and running mate impeached, stressing that he neither ordered nor encouraged lawmakers to file the complaint and that the matter rested with Congress and the Senate.
Under the Philippine Constitution, the House of Representatives has the sole power to initiate impeachment complaints, while the Senate sits as an impeachment court.
