ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro (left), President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (PPAB, Facebook)

Don't interfere with the move to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte.

This was House Deputy Minority Leader ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro's message to President Marcos on Saturday, Jan. 18 following the latter's recent remarks wherein he said that now wasn't the time for Congress to pursue such impeachment.

"President Marcos should not interfere with the impeachment process. Congress has a constitutional duty to process this case immediately. The people deserve accountability and transparency," Castro stated.

The constitutional duty of Congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate) to act on the filed impeachment complaints against Vice President Duterte was actually acknowledged by President Marcos during a recent event in Leyte. 

However, he said that the timing was off especially since the campaign season for the 2025 mid-term elections was fast approaching.

Marcos said it would be hard for lawmakers to muster a quorum since the campaign would be their priority.

But Castro said there's a chance for an impeachment complaint to be transmitted directly from the House to the Senate without going through committee deliberations.

"Kung makukuha agad ang 103 endorsers next week ay agad na maipapasa ito sa Senado at di na poproblemahin ang bilang o pag-attend ng mga congressmen dahil Senado na bahala dito," the Makabayan solon explained. 

(If we can get 103 endorsers next week then we can quickly submit this to the Senate and the attendance of congressmen [House] would no longer be an issue because it's now the Senate’s jurisdiction.)

"The Senate can then promptly tackle this or call for a special session if necessary," she noted.

Currently, there are three pending impeachment complaints against Vice President Duterte at the House of Representatives. There is no indication as to when the House Committee on Justice will begin its deliberations on the impeachment raps.

The campaign season for national poll candidates will begin on Feb. 11.

Castro urged her colleagues in Congress to fulfill their constitutional mandate. "This is not  about politics – this is about upholding the principles of good governance and ensuring that public officials remain accountable to the Filipino people."