President Marcos said it is up to Vice President Sara Duterte and her legal team to decide whether she should personally attend her impeachment trial before the Senate, although he said he would choose to appear if he were the one facing the charges.

Speaking to members of the Philippine media at the conclusion of his official visit to Canada, Marcos, who served as a senator-judge during the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2012, said the decision was ultimately up to the defense team.

"It's really up to the accused whether or not they feel the need to appear," Marcos said.

"I guess the lawyers on the defense side will give their advice. It's not for me to say one way or the other," he added.

The President, however, said proceedings, which are set to start on Monday, July 6, would be easier if the accused directly answered the allegations rather than responding through legal representatives alone.

"But of course, it would be much easier to get to the bottom of everything if you could speak to the accused directly. And the accused can answer directly, not through secondary channels, not through the lawyers," he said.

"Kung diretso makasagot, siyempre magiging maliwanag ang proseso, madali ang proseso (If answers are given directly, of course the process becomes clearer and easier)," he added.

The President stressed that his remarks reflected only his personal opinion and not a legal position.

However, Marcos said that if he were in the same position as the Vice President, he would likely insist on personally appearing before the impeachment court even if advised otherwise by lawyers.

"But if I'm just trying to put myself in that position, I would probably, myself, if it were me, being accused, I would almost insist over the advice of lawyers, if they advise me not to appear, I would insist on appearing," he said.

"'Kasi kaya ko naman sagutin, sige, sagutin natin' (Because I can answer the accusations anyway, then let's answer them)," he added.

The House of Representatives impeached Vice President Duterte for the second time on May 11, transmitting the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate for trial. The complaint includes allegations of confidential and intelligence fund misuse, unexplained wealth, bribery, and grave threats, all of which the Vice President has denied.

Duterte's legal team has yet to publicly state whether the Vice President intends to personally appear before the impeachment court once the trial begins.

Marcos has repeatedly maintained that he would not interfere in the impeachment process, saying it is a constitutional mechanism that should be allowed to proceed independently of the Executive branch.