Senator Imee Marcos believes efforts to dismiss the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte are not only being pushed by Duterte’s allies but also by some from within the Marcos administration.

The senator made the statement after she was asked if the push to junk the impeachment complaint was limited to known Duterte allies in the Senate.

“No. You know, whenever there’s a proposal, everyone really works together. That’s just how it is, and it has nothing to do with any party, the so-called ‘Duterte 5,’ or anyone in particular. Everyone is genuinely interested,” she said in Filipino.

“In fact, I think even the administration is interested in getting it dismissed — because they’re getting nervous that they might lose. Let’s be honest,” she said. “Because, you know, it would be embarrassing if they lost.”

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had repeatedly voiced his opposition to the impeachment proceedings against Duterte, who was his running mate in the 2022 elections under the UniTeam coalition.

“Why do I have to keep on explaining that I do not want the impeachment?” the President said last week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

According to Senator Marcos, she has seen multiple versions of the Senate resolution seeking to effectively dismiss the impeachment complaint — drafts authored by various senators, not just the version released by the office of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.

On Wednesday, Dela Rosa confirmed that he was behind the draft resolution that seeks to “de facto” dismiss the impeachment case against Duterte, which appeared to prevent the presentation of the Articles of Impeachment scheduled for 11 June.

To recall, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero had moved the presentation of the Articles of Impeachment to 11 June — the final session day of the 19th Congress.

Initially scheduled for 2 June, the presentation of the Articles of Impeachment marks the beginning of the impeachment proceedings in the Senate, which would then constitute itself into an impeachment court.