While Malacañang refused to comment if senator-judges are able to preserve the integrity of the impeachment process against Vice President Sara Duterte, it insisted that the public knows who among them are being biased.

“Makikita naman ng taumbayan kung sino ba talaga ang biased at hindi at makikita rin ng taumbayan kung sino sa mga senador ang nagtatrabaho lamang ayon sa batas at ayon sa Rule of Law (The people will see who are biased and the people will see who among the senators are working according to the law and Rule of Law),” Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a briefing on Monday, June 16.

Duterte said there is no need for senator-judges, who express biases over her impeachment trial, to inhibit, saying the senator-judges should be given the benefit of the doubt. She added that if biased senators would be asked to inhibit, many of them would have to.

Castro, however, said they have nothing to say more about the vice president's opinion.

“Kung ganyan po ang kanyang opinyon, wala po tayong masasabi, dahil iyan po ay nasa kanyang saloobin (If that is her opinion, we do not have anything to say because that is her opinion),” Castro said.

When asked if senator-judges are able to preserve the integrity of the impeachment process, Castro said it is hard to give conclusions now and let the Senate deal with it.

“Mahirap magbigay ng konklusyon. Muli nasa senador na po iyan na siyang umaakto bilang judges sa impeachment court at hayaan na lamang po natin ang kanilang pagkilos, pag-evaluate ng pangyayari sa kanila mismong impeachment court at tao naman po ang makakakita kung sila po ay nagtatrabaho ng maayos (It is difficult to give a conclusion. Again, that is up to the senators who act as judges in the impeachment court. Let us allow them to carry out their duties and evaluate the events within the impeachment court itself, and the people will be the ones to see whether they are doing their jobs properly),” Castro said.