Palace to let process take its course on impeachment raps vs PBBM
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro (RTVM)
Malacañang is letting the process take its course after the two impeachment complaints filed against President Marcos have already been referred to the House Committee on Justice.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro on Tuesday, Jan. 27, made the pronouncement after two impeachment complaints were filed against the President for graft and corruption and betrayal of public trust.
She nevertheless assured Filipinos that the move would not affect Marcos' work.
"Ginagalang po ng Pangulo kung anuman po ang activities, ginagawa at mga desisyon po ng House of Representatives so hayaan po natin ang proseso na umandar na naaayon sa batas (The President respects whatever activities, actions, and decisions the House of Representatives makes, so let us allow the process to take it course in accordance with the law)," Castro said in a press briefing.
"Itong mga impeachment complaint na naisampa laban sa Pangulo ay hindi po mapapahinto, hindi po mapapatigil ang Pangulo sa patuloy niyang pagtatrabaho para iangat ang buhay ng bawat Pilipino (These impeachment complaints filed against the President will not hinder him from continuing his work to uplift the lives of every Filipino)," she added.
She also said that the Palace was willing to submit "any document" that will be asked for because the President "respects the process."
Nevertheless, Castro said the administration sees the impeachment raps as "in a way" an attack, considering that any complaint would not only affect the President but also the country's economy.
'Right thing to do'
Meanwhile, Castro said it is only "the right thing to do" that House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos, the President's son, had announced that he would recuse himself from all impeachment proceedings against his father.
“This decision is guided not by legal compulsion, but by a higher obligation –to preserve the integrity of the House of Representatives, to protect the credibility of its processes, and to uphold the public’s trust in our constitutional system," the younger Marcos said.
For Castro, what the younger Marcos did was "a hallmark of a statesman."
"It shows his character; it shows his decency. And we believe that it is the right thing to do," she said.
Castro also made it clear that there was no instruction from the President for his son to do so because he knows that the latter "is complying with his own mandate." "Bilang public servant alam po ni Congressman Marcos kung ano po ang sinasabi ng batas at ano po ang dapat niyang gawin," she said.