Palace to respect impeachment process vs President

 MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Monday said it will respect the process on the impeachment complaints filed against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who remains confident that he did not commit an impeachable offense.

These remarks came after both impeachment complaints filed by lawyer Andre de Jesus and the Makabayan Coalition against Marcos had been declared sufficient in form by the House of Representatives’ committee on justice, initiating the next stage of the proceedings.

READ: De Jesus, Makabayan impeach raps vs Marcos deemed sufficient in form

“That’s the process; we have to respect that,” Palace Press Officer UndersecretaryClaire Castro said in a briefing.

“Even before, sinabi na po ng Pangulo na alam niya na wala siyang ginawang mali, wala siyang ginawang paglabas sa batas, at wala siyang ginawang impeachable offense kaya kumpyansa siya sa sarili niya,” she also said when asked whether the Palace is confident that the impeachment complaints will be found sufficient in substance.

(Even before, the President said that he knows he did nothing wrong, he did nothing illegal, and he did not commit any impeachable offense, so he is confident.)

Castro likewise reiterated her previous statements that the impeachment complaints could negatively affect the country’s economy.

“Ang pagsasampa po ng impeachment complaint laban po sa Pangulo, hindi Pangulo lamang ang maaapektuhan nito kundi ang buong bansa pati ekonomiya,” Castro said.

(The filing of an impeachment complaint against the President will not only affect the President but also the entire country and the economy.)

READ: VP Sara Duterte slapped with another impeachment complaint

Last January 19, de Jesus filed the first-ever impeachment complaint against Marcos, which was endorsed by Pusong Pinoy party-list Rep. Jernie Jett Nisay.

In his 14-page complaint, de Jesus mentioned six grounds for his complaint, which he said merits culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust:

• Allegedly ordering and enabling the kidnapping and surrender of former President Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court
• Allegedly being a drug addict which impairs his judgment and leadership
• Alleged failure to veto unprogrammed appropriations and other unconstitutional provisions of the General Appropriations Bill for 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026
• Allegedly benefitting from kickbacks arising from budget insertions and ghost flood control projects
• Allegedly creating the Independent Commission for Infrastructure to shield corrupt allies
• Allegedly violating the Constitution and betraying public trust for surrendering Duterte to the ICC

Makabayan’s complaint, meanwhile, focused on the existence of the “BBM Parametric Formula”—a Department of Public Works and Highways policy that stands for “Baselined-Balanced-Managed.”

In regard to the two new impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte, Castro said that it is up to the Congress to evaluate and decide on them. /gsg