Senator Imee Marcos on Tuesday revealed that the Executive Branch will no longer participate in the next hearing of the Senate panel into the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

According to Senator Marcos, who chaired the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, which is investigating the arrest of the former president, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin conveyed the message through a letter.

The Senate panel is set to continue its investigation on Thursday, 3 April.

"Yes, I received a letter last night from Executive Secretary Bersamin stating that the Executive will not be attending the hearing on April 3," Senator Marcos told reporters in an ambush interview.

"It's disappointing because there are still so many unanswered questions. My report was only preliminary, so it feels incomplete. The public is still asking — I'm getting messages, people are inquiring, and new information is coming in,” she added.

Senator Marcos said the next hearing could have been an avenue for government officials to explain the arrest of the former president, which the latter’s supporters deemed as illegal.

“This hearing could have been an opportunity to clarify conflicting answers, inconsistent data, and the pressing questions of the people,” she stressed.

“The President said the inquiry wouldn’t stop, but the letter was very clear,” she added, referring to her brother, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s earlier pronouncement that his officials will not be prevented from attending the Senate probe.

At a briefing on Sunday, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro was asked whether President Marcos had “special instructions” for his officials on the next hearing of Senator Marcos’ panel.

“No, as we said the other day, the President will not stop Cabinet members or secretaries if they are summoned. And they should answer any questions that are asked of them, provided that it does not violate executive privilege, that’s all,” Castro said.

‘No longer necessary’

In the letter addressed to both Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero and Senator Marcos, Bersamin stressed that further participation of officials from various government agencies “may no longer be necessary at this time.”

According to the President’s alter ego, government officials “dutifully attended” the hearing on 20 March 2025, and “sincerely answered all the questions to the best of their knowledge, and candidly provided all information elicited by the Senate Committee members.”

“Given the extensive disclosures made, we believe that further participation may no longer be necessary at this time, especially considering that the Honorable Chairperson has publicly relayed her comprehensive findings thereon,” he said.

Bersamin reiterated the Palace’s position on the extent of executive privilege in these proceedings, which was detailed in their previous letter to Escudero and Marcos on 20 March.

“We believe that all matters not covered by executive privilege have already been extensively discussed,” he said.

Bersamin also cited the four pending petitions before the Supreme Court (SC) regarding the arrest and surrender of Duterte, which he said are “closely intertwined with the agenda items being deliberated in the hearings of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.”

“Accordingly, further discussions on the matters in the agenda of the hearing may constitute violation of the sub judice rule, which could unduly influence the ongoing proceedings,” he said.

“In light of these considerations, we must respectfully decline the invitation to attend the hearing. Nevertheless, we remain available to extend our full cooperation through other appropriate channels, should there be any further clarifications required within the bounds of the law,” he added.