While Malacañang reaffirmed that President Marcos is not meddling with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, it called on the Senate to note the call of the Makati Business Club to proceed with the impeachment.

“Hindi po kasi manghihimasok ang Pangulo sa proseso sa Senado patungkol po sa impeachment trial, pero kung iyan po ang nakikita po ng mga nagninegosyo, investors natin sa Pilipinas, eksperto sila sa mga ganitong bagay, kung ano ang mas makakabuti sa ekonomiya ( The President will not interfere in the Senate process regarding the impeachment trial, but if that is what our business people and investors in the Philippines see, they are experts in these matters, as something that would benefit the economy, then we should take that into consideration,” Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a Palace briefing on Wednesday, June 18.

“So, tandaan natin, ang sabi lamang po ng Pangulo, sundin ang Konstitusyon at ang rule of law. So, kung pagpapabilis sa impeachment trial at iyon ang nakikita ng business sector, sana bigyan din po ito ng pansin ng Senado (So let us remember, the President simply said to follow the Constitution and the rule of law. So, if expediting the impeachment trial is what the business sector sees as necessary, hopefully the Senate will also give it attention,” Castro added.

The Makati Business Club has urged the Senate to proceed with the impeachment trial of Duterte, stressing that if they will not follow the rule of law, the business sector in the country will not be able to attract foreign and local investors.

Castro agreed with the business club's statement saying, investors will turn hesitant to invest into the Philippines amid an alarming situation, “if there are issues and a leader is being accused of corruption—especially if it appears that some senator-judges are siding with that leader.”

“So, nakakaalarma po ito dahil gumaganda po ang takbo ng ekonomiya ng bansa, taliwas po ito sa sinabi ng Bise Presidente na bagsak ang ekonomiya (This is alarming because the country's economy is doing well, contrary to what the Vice President claimed—that the economy is failing),” Castro said.

The Palace official also noted that the Philippines has already been removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, which, she said, has “significantly boosted investor confidence in the country just this year.”

She added that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) also stated that the Philippines has maintained “a very strong economic outlook for 2025.”

“So, nakakahinayang po kung ang ekonomiya natin ay maaapektuhan ng dahil lang po sa nangyayari sa Senado (So, it would be unfortunate if our economy were to suffer just because of what’s happening in the Senate),” Castro said.

The PCO executive also called on the Senate to follow the rule of law and the Constitution, echoing the business club's appeal.

“So, ang panawagan lang din po natin sa Senado patungkol po sa impeachment trial, hindi naman po para pabilisin or manghimasok tayo sa ginagawang impeachment trial kung hindi sundin lamang po ang Konstitusyon at ang rule of law. Iyan din lang po ang ninanais ng Makati Business Club (So, our appeal to the Senate regarding the impeachment trial is not to speed it up or interfere with the process, but simply to follow the Constitution and the rule of law. That is also what the Makati Business Club is calling for),” Castro said.