Malacañang on Wednesday urged the Senate to seriously consider the call of the country’s leading business groups to proceed with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, emphasizing its importance to economic stability and investor confidence.

In a Palace briefing, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro reiterated that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will not intervene in the impeachment proceedings but she reminded the senators to listen to the concerns of the stakeholders in the economy.

“If that is what our business community and investors in the Philippines believe — being experts in these matters — then it is what they think is best for the economy,” Castro said.

She said that investors were watching developments closely, and any political instability could discourage both local and foreign investments.

Business groups, including the Makati Business Club (MBC) and the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), have raised concerns the prolonged uncertainty over the impeachment proceedings could disrupt the country’s economic momentum and damage the Philippines’ credibility as an investment destination.

“So let’s remember, the President simply said to follow the Constitution and the rule of law. Therefore, if speeding up the trial is what the business sector believes is necessary, hopefully, the Senate will give it due attention,” Castro said.

The MBC described the trial as “a governance issue” and stressed that adherence to the rule of law is key to attracting long-term investments.

“If we do not follow the rule of law, how can we expect to attract foreign and even local investors to bring in long-term investments, which would lead to the creation of jobs?” the group said.

It warned that failure to proceed with the trial would constitute a betrayal of public trust.

“The senators individually and the Senate as an institution will betray the public trust and not provide the Vice President with the forum to refute the charges if they do not proceed with the impeachment trial,” the MBC said.

For its part, MAP emphasized that the impeachment trial is not just a political issue but a matter of good governance and national interest.

“By allowing the trial to proceed, the Senate would affirm its commitment to transparency, accountability, and other principles of good governance — giving the prosecution a fair chance to present its case and the defense a full opportunity to respond and clear the respondent’s name,” MAP said.