Malacañang has distanced itself from impeachment talks as the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte approaches.

On Thursday, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro was asked if the position of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had changed since he originally stated that an impeachment case was a “waste of time.”

Castro said the matter of Duterte’s impeachment was now under the purview of the Senate.

“The impeachment trial is not in the President’s hands right now. What will happen there is in the hands of the Senate,” she said in a Palace briefing.

As the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education came under scrutiny for the alleged misappropriation of funds, particularly the use of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF), some lawmakers have said the Office of the President should also be investigated to determine if similar misappropriations had occurred, noting that the OP is one of the top spenders of CIF.

In response, Castro said the OP has not received an Audit Observation Memorandum (AOM) from the Commission on Audit, which highlights deficiencies in the use of government funds.

Castro said the matter of Duterte’s impeachment was now under the purview of the Senate.

“The Office of the President has not received an AOM or notice of disallowance. If anyone has received this and if anyone needs to explain this, they should do so, because there is a trial coming up,” she said, referring to Vice President Duterte.

For her part, Duterte has said her legal team has expressed confidence they will win in the impeachment trial.

When asked for a reaction, Castro said Duterte’s camp could say what they want to say. “If that’s their strategy, let’s leave it at that,” she said.

The Palace official reiterated that Malacañang has no role in the impeachment proceedings against the Vice President.

Duterte was impeached on 5 February by over 215 lawmakers due to allegations of corruption, plotting to assassinate the President, possible involvement in extrajudicial killings, and incitement to insurrection and public disorder.

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said in February that a decision in Duterte’s impeachment trial could be reached by October.