Malacañang said Sunday that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is unlikely to personally watch or closely monitor the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte, saying the Chief Executive will instead be briefed on major developments while he attends to official duties.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Marcos has a packed schedule that includes meetings, public engagements, aid distribution activities, and preparations for his state visit to Japan this week.
“No, the President cannot watch and monitor that,” Castro said in Filipino during a radio interview. “The President has so much work to do and so many events to attend.”
Castro said the President would likely receive updates on the impeachment case, but would not devote his full attention to the proceedings.
“Probably, he will just be given an update. But if he focuses on that, his time will be consumed,” she said.
The Palace official stressed that Marcos’ decision not to monitor the proceedings closely should not be interpreted as dismissing the importance of the impeachment process.
“It does not mean that it is not important,” Castro said. “But the President has many things to do, meetings and visits to our countrymen in different places. So he will not focus on that. He will just be given updates.”
Castro cited several government activities that require the President’s attention, including meetings, the rollout of assistance programs, and the distribution of aid to vulnerable sectors.
Among these, she said, are initiatives under the “Bawat Bayan, Makikinabang” program, which includes the distribution of 10 kilos of rice to vulnerable sectors, P200,000 cash assistance to barangays, scholarship aid for poor graduating students, and the implementation of zero-balance billing in hospitals.
She also noted that Marcos is scheduled to embark on a state visit to Japan this week, further limiting his ability to personally follow the impeachment proceedings.
The Senate convened last week as an impeachment court to try Duterte. It has directed the Vice President to submit her answer within a non-extendable period of 10 days from receipt of the summons.
The impeachment case marks a critical political test for Duterte, whose strained ties with the Marcos administration have become increasingly visible in recent months.
Malacañang, however, maintained that Marcos is focused on governance and will leave the proceedings to the Senate impeachment court.