ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Senator-judges must remain impartial, unbiased in impeachment trial — Palace

Senator-judges must remain impartial, unbiased in impeachment trial — Palace

Castro says they should not sweep the truth under the rug

Published Aug 6, 2026 02:57 pm
Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro (Betheena Unite)
Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro (Betheena Unite)
Senator-judges in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte are expected to remain impartial and unbiased, Malacañang said.
Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said the Senator-judges should not sweep the truth under the rug, stressing it is not their mandate to do so.
"Kung ano ang sinasabi ng batas, kung ano ang sinasabi ng ebidensiya, sana ay huwag walisin, huwag linisin at pahinain ang katotohahan at lihisin kung ano ang sinasabi ng batas (Whatever the law says and whatever the evidence shows should not be brushed aside, covered up, or weakened. The truth should not be distorted or diverted from what the law actually provides)," Castro said in a Palace briefing on Thursday, Aug. 6.
Castro made the remarks, citing observation that "many people commenting on the impeachment proceedings are acting like lawyers, which they should not be doing."
"Marami po kasing lumalabas sa impeachment ayon sa PCO na nag-aaktong mga lawyer, na hindi dapat, dahil dapat maging impartial, manatiling walang bias ang mga senator-judge (According to the PCO, many people commenting on the impeachment proceedings are acting like lawyers, which they should not be doing, because senator-judges are expected to remain impartial and unbiased)," Castro stressed.
"So, hindi po sila mandato na walisin ang katotohanan. So huwag silang magdala ng walis sa senado (Their mandate is not to sweep the truth under the rug. So they should not bring brooms into the Senate)," she added.
The Palace spokesperson reiterated that this is also what President Marcos wants—the law must be followed.
She, however, maintained that the President will not make any comment on the impeachment trial against his former ally.
"Personally, para po kay Pangulo ay hindi po siya magbibigay ng anumang komento patungkol diyan, dahil ang nais lamang po niya talaga ay masunod ang proseos, iyon naman po lagi ang sinasabi ng Pangulo, masunod iyong process, masunod ang proseso kung ano ang sinasabi ng batas (as far as the President is concerned, he will not make any comment on that issue because all he really wants is for the proper process to be followed. That has always been the President's position—that the process must be observed, and that the law must be followed)," Castro said.
Asked who among the Senator-judges they observed to be acting like a lawyer for the defense, Castro declined to name names but said anyone who watched the impeachment trial could see which senator-judges were conducting the cross-examinations.

'Uncover the truth, not cover up alleged wrongdoings'

According to Castro, rules and procedures that are already established "are being sidetracked, their interpretation is being altered, and witnesses are not even being allowed to finish their answers."
"Ang judge po kasi sila po ay nagtatanong for clarification. Ang ibinabato nila ay clarificatory questions, hindi po sila para mag-cross examine (Judges are supposed to ask questions only for clarification. The questions they ask should be clarificatory, not cross-examinations)," Castro said.
"Hindi po sila dapat nakikipag-debate sa witness, kasi ang mandato nila, kunin ang katotohanan para sa taumbayan, hindi para walisin ang batas, walisin ang dapat na malaman ng tao para lang pagtakpan ang kalokohan diumano ng iba (They should not be debating with witnesses because their mandate is to uncover the truth for the Filipino people, not to sweep aside the law or hide information that the public deserves to know simply to cover up the alleged wrongdoing of others)," Castro stressed.

Related Tags

senator-judges impeachment trial Vice President Sara Duterte President Marcos Claire Castro
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ static_articles_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.