While Malacañang did not categorically state that it favors holding the impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte, it stressed that all cases that must be tried should proceed.

Duterte's impeachment trial, Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said, should not be exempt from cases that must be heard to hold those responsible accountable and establish the truth.

Castro said President Marcos' directive on the investigation into the multi-billion-peso flood control anomalies stands and applies to all cases.

"Ayaw kong sabihin na the Palace is for the holding of the trial. Ganito po ang gagawin natin: Alam po natin since the time na nagpaumpisa ang Pangulong magpaimbestiga sa flood control mess, ang sabi niya: managot ang lahat ng managot (I don’t want to say that Malacañang is in favor of holding the trial. This is what we will do, since the time the President ordered an investigation into the flood control mess, he said that: everyone who is accountable must be held accountable)," Castro said.

"So, hindi naman po puwedeng maging exemption or ma-exempt itong impeachment trial dahil kung may dapat na mapanagot ay dapat na managot (So, the impeachment trial cannot be an exemption; no one should be exempt if they are liable)," Castro stressed.

"So pangkalahatan po, sa lahat ng maaaring may akusasyon, sa dapat lamang po na magkaroon ng pagdinig, malaman kung ano ang katotohanan ay hindi para husgahan agad ang sinuman (In general, for all those who may be accused, there should be proper hearings to determine the truth, and not to immediately judge anyone)," Castro further said.

Although Malacañang wanted to steer clear of the Vice President's impeachment, the Palace mouthpiece hopes the Senators "will be fair," noting the overwhelming votes in the House of Representatives to impeach Duterte.

With 257 affirmative votes, 25 in the negative, and 9 abstentions, the House of Representatives on Monday, May 11, voted to impeach Duterte. She was impeached by the House of Representatives for the second time.

"Nagdesisyon po ang House of Representatives at nakita malamang nila ang mga ebidensiya – sabi nga nila ay mas dumami pa ang sumang-ayon na ma-impeach sa pangalawang pagkakataon ang Bise Presidente at ito marahil ay ayon sa mga nakita nila na mga documents or mga ebidensiya na maaaring maging dahilan para ma-impeach ang Bise Presidente (The House of Representatives has made its decision, and they likely saw the evidence—according to them, even more lawmakers agreed to impeach the Vice President for a second time, probably based on the documents or evidence they reviewed that could serve as grounds for impeachment)," Castro said.

"At sana kapag ito ay napunta na rin sa Senado ay maging patas ang mga manghuhusga, ang mga Senador natin; para ito naman sa taumbayan (And hopefully, once this reaches the Senate, the judges, our senators, will be fair, for the sake of the public)," Castro added.

Reiterating that the decision of the House of Representatives is not within President Marcos' authority, Castro also stressed that the Chief Executive will not interfere with the Senate's process.

She, however, stated that the people will judge whether the Senate favors the public or a single person.

"Trabaho po ito ng Senado. So, hindi po manghihimasok ang Pangulo. Nasa Senado na po iyan, nasa kamay na po iyan ng Senado (This is the work of the Senate. So, the President will not interfere. That is already with the Senate, it is in the hands of the Senate)," Castro said.

"At kung anuman po ang gagawin nila diyan kung ito po ay papabor para sa taumbayan o papabor lang sa iisang tao, ay bahala na po ang taumbayan na humusga para sa kanila (And whatever they decide there, whether it will favor the public or only a single person, let the people be the ones to judge them)," Castro added.

On the same day Duterte was impeached, Senators also voted to change the Senate leadership from Senator Vicente "Tito" Sotto III to Senator Alan Peter Cayetano.

Castro said the Senate's decision is beyond the President's authority, thus they respect the change in leadership.

"Well, everything that happens in the Senate is—it is within their power, it is within the authority to decide on all matters within the Senate. So hindi po panghihimasukan ng Pangulo iyong anuman po ang magiging desisyon ng Senado (So, the President will not interfere in any decision the Senate makes)," she said.

While the change in the Senate leadership took place on the same day the House of Representatives impeached Duterte for the second time, which followed the transmission of the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate by the House plenary, Cayetano said the leadership change was not due to Duterte's impeachment.

The Senate will serve as the impeachment court to try the Vice President.

Meanwhile, Palace ally and civic leader Jose Antonio Goitia said what happened in the Senate on Monday was not simply a leadership change, but "a move designed to stop an impeachment trial before it could even begin."

"The timing, he said, was too precise to ignore," Goitia said. "This was never really about leadership. The objective was to make sure the impeachment process would not proceed."

He cited that former Senate president Sotto had already declared he was prepared to convene the impeachment court against Duterte once the House transmitted the articles.

But he was removed before that could happen, the civic leader said.

Duterte's impeachment is being sought over her offices' alleged misuse of P612.5 million worth of confidential funds; untruthful declarations in the filing of her statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth; unexplained wealth; and death threats to President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez.