Palace defers to House on possible invitation of Marcos in impeachment hearings

Malacañang on Wednesday said it would allow the House of Representatives to carry out its constitutional mandate amid reports that the House justice panel is considering inviting President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as a respondent in hearings related to an impeachment complaint.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer, Atty. Claire Castro, said the Palace is closely watching how the House evaluates the impeachment complaints, particularly their sufficiency in form and substance.

“Tingnan po ang trabaho po muna ng House of Representatives kung—patungkol po sa sufficiency inform and substance ng nasabing mga complaints or rather impeachment complaints at hintayin lamang po natin kung magkakaroon at magbibigay po sila ng imbitasyon sa ating Pangulo (Let us first see the work of the House of Representatives, particularly on the sufficiency in form and substance of the impeachment complaints, and we will wait if they decide to issue an invitation to the President),” Castro said during a press briefing.

Asked whether Marcos would personally respond or participate should he be formally invited, Castro said the matter would depend on the recommendation of the President’s legal team.

“Depende po iyan sa magiging legal team po ng Pangulo kapag kinakailangan na po (That will depend on the President’s legal team if and when it becomes necessary),” she said.

The second impeachment complaint against the President, filed by lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc along with several activist groups, was referred on Monday to the House Committee on Justice after it was formally received by the secretary general of the House of Representatives.

The transmittal of the Makabayan-backed complaint, together with an earlier impeachment complaint filed by lawyer Andre de Jesus, effectively triggers the constitutional one-year ban on the filing of additional impeachment complaints against the President.

The Makabayan complaint had earlier figured in a minor controversy following its filing on 22 January, when House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil was reportedly overseas to receive an award.

At the time, her staff declined to formally acknowledge receipt of the complaint.