President Marcos will not be monitoring the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte as it gets underway in the Senate, with Malacañang saying the President has government work to focus on instead.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said this ahead of the impeachment trial set for Monday afternoon, July 6.

In a press briefing on Monday, Castro said Marcos would eventually be informed of developments in the trial but would not devote his time to watching the proceedings.

"Hindi naman po kinakailangang mag-monitor ang Pangulo. Malalaman naman po rin niya kung ano ang magiging balita rito (The President does not need to monitor it. He will eventually know what the developments are),” she said.

"Mas marami pong dapat na trabahuhin ang ating Pangulo at hindi po siya uupo lamang para po manood ng impeachment trial (The President has much more work to do and will not simply sit down to watch the impeachment trial),” she added.

The impeachment proceedings against Duterte formally opened Monday before the Senate sitting as an impeachment court, months after the House of Representatives approved the Articles of Impeachment against the Vice President.

The complaint accuses Duterte of culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and misuse of confidential and intelligence funds, among other allegations, all of which she has denied.

While reiterating that the Executive branch would not interfere in the impeachment process, Castro pointed to Marcos' earlier remarks during a media briefing in Vancouver, Canada, where the President shared his personal view on whether an accused official should attend an impeachment trial.

"Katulad po ng sinabi po natin even before at nagsalita na rin po ang Pangulo sa Kapihan, kung may kinakailangan pong sagutin ay dapat lamang pong sagutin (As we have said before and as the President himself said during the Kapihan, if there are accusations that need to be answered, then they should be answered),” she said.

"Mas maganda pong humarap sa nasabing trial para po siya na mismo ang sumagot ng mga akusasyon laban sa kaniya (It would be better to personally appear before the trial so that the accused herself can answer the accusations against her),” she added.

In a press briefing in Canada over the weekend, President Marcos said the decision on whether to personally attend the impeachment proceedings ultimately rests with the accused and her lawyers.

"It's really up to the accused whether or not they feel the need to appear. I guess the lawyers on the defense side will give their advice. It's not for me to say one way or the other," Marcos said.

"But of course, it would be much easier to get to the bottom of everything if you could speak to the accused directly," he added.

Marcos also revealed what he personally would do if he were the one facing impeachment charges.

"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.

Castro also refused to comment on proposals to lower the number of votes needed to convict an impeachable official amid concerns over the participation of several senators facing legal issues of their own.

"Hindi po makikialam ang Ehekutibo kung anuman po ang magiging resolusyon patungkol sa isyu na 'yan (The Executive will not interfere in whatever resolution may be reached on that issue),” she said.

"Nasa Senado po 'yan kung ano po ang kanilang ipapatupad (That is for the Senate to decide and implement),” she added.

Marcos has repeatedly maintained that the impeachment proceedings are a constitutional process that should be allowed to proceed independently and without interference from Malacañang, despite the political implications of putting his former running mate on trial.