Marcos ready for any impeachment raps against him, Palace says

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. is ready to face any impeachment complaint against him, Malacañang said on Monday. 

This was according to Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro during a press briefing.

Castro emphasized that the President respects due process in the country as well as the 1987 Constitution. She also maintained that the President never stole public funds and he even initiated the investigation into flood control anomalies to run after corrupt individuals.

''Ang Pangulo naman handa naman po sa lahat ng pagkakataon dahil siya po ay gumagalang sa Konstitusyon, gumagalang po siya sa proseso,'' Castro said. 

(The President is ready at any time because he respects the Constitution and the process.)

''Pero kung pag-uusapan po natin ay breach of public trust dahil nabanggit ito tungkol sa diumanong pagpirma sa GAA, ang Pangulo po, unang-una, hindi po siya nagnakaw ng pera. Pangalawa, siya po ang nagpapaimbestiga sa mga maanomalyang flood control projects at maaaring naging sanhi ng korapsiyon. Pangatlo, wala po siyang 'Mary Grace Piattos,''' she added.

(But if we are talking about breach of public trust because his signing on the General Appropriations Act was mentioned, the President, first of all, did not steal money. Second, he was the one who ordered an investigation into anomalous flood control projects and corruption. Third, he has no 'Mary Grace Piattos'.)

“Mary Grace Piattos” was the name and signature that appeared the most in acknowledgement receipts for confidential funds of offices under Vice President Sara Duterte.

Earlier, Castro shrugged off a supposed plan to file an impeachment complaint against Marcos, saying such a move would be “political maneuvering.” 

“We have seen this statement made by a lawmaker. At this point, these are unsubstantiated statements allegedly coming from the supporters of a certain politician. The President remains committed to leading and producing results for the Filipino people,” Castro had said. 

In an interview on Unang Balita on Monday, Castro also said the supposed plan to file an impeachment complaint has no basis.

"Ito ay walang basehan, mga sinasabi-sabi lamang (It has no basis, it's just talk)," she said.

'The usual suspects'

It was House Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Caloocan 2nd District Representative Edgar Erice who revealed that Marcos may face an impeachment complaint.

The lawmaker said that there were individuals who reached out to him to endorse an impeachment complaint against the President due to betrayal of public trust. 

These individuals are supporters of Vice President Sara Duterte, according to Erice.

On Monday, Erice said that the complaint is already being drafted and that two members of the House are set to endorse it. The legislator added that he was approached to be the third endorser but he refused.

When asked who approached him, Erice replied, "The usual suspects. Kilala 'nyo naman yung mga anti-Marcos and pro-VP. Yun yung mga magfa-file ng complaint. And I asked them if they would be signing the complaint. Sabi naman nila they would be signing the complaint."

"At meron, at least, sabi niya, two or three legislators who are endorsing it.  At sabi nga nila, gusto nila kasi may minority. Kasi I was told that yung mag-endorse, one from the independent and one from the majority. So alam ko, wala silang endorser from the minority," Erice added.

(The usual suspects. You know who are the anti-Marcos and pro-VP ones. They are the ones who will file the complaint. And I asked them if they would be signing the complaints. They said they would be signing the complaint.

And there are, at  least they said there are, two or three legislators who are endorsing it. And they said they want some people from the minority. I was told that the ones who will be endorsing will be one from the independent and one from the majority. So as far as I know, they have no endorser from the minority.)

Asked if one of the endorsers was Cavite 4th district Representative Kiko Barzaga, Erice replied, "Malamang, malamang [Probably]."

GMA Integrated News has reached out to Barzaga for comment but his only response to the question of someone filing a complaint against Marcos so far is a "surprised face" emoji.

House Assistant Majority Leader and Bataan 1st district Representative Antonino Roman III said any impeachment complaint must be backed by evidence. "Whoever's filing the complaint, yung allegation niya [their allegation], they have to make sure that it is supported by evidence," he said in an ambush interview.

Confident

Castro said supporters of the Vice President should help her instead of pushing for an impeachment complaint against the President. An impeachment complaint should not be used for publicity nor to sow fear, she added. 

''So, sa mga supporters po ng Bise Presidente na nagnanais po na magsampa ng impeachment complaint, mas maganda po siguro bago magturo at tumingin sa iba, tulungan muna nila ang idolo nila. Unang-una, dahil ang usapin dito, ang impeachment complaint ay hindi ito pang-media lamang, hindi ito panakot lamang,'' she said.

(So, to the supporters of the Vice President who would like to file an impeachment complaint, maybe it would be better that they help their idol first before pointing at and focusing on others. First, because an impeachment complaint is not just for media or a means to sow fear.)

Amid reports on a possible impeachment complaint, the President is still confident of the support of his allies in Congress, Castro said.

''Sa ngayon, tiwala pa rin po ang Pangulo na mayroon pong pagtitiwala rin sa kaniya ang mga mambabatas dahil hindi naman po gumagawa ng kamalian ang Pangulo,'' she added.

(For now, the President believes that he still has the trust of lawmakers since he does not involve himself in wrongdoings.) 

House members

House higher and technical education panel chairperson Jude Acidre of Tingog party-list, for his part, said that any impeachment move against President Marcos should be based on merit, not any vested interests.

“Impeachment is a very serious and extraordinary constitutional process. It is not something that should be taken lightly or used casually. Any move to impeach a sitting President must be firmly grounded in the Constitution and supported by clear, credible, and compelling evidence. It should never be driven by rumors, political pressure, or noise,” Acidre said in a statement.

“At the end of the day, the House has a duty to act with sobriety, fairness, and respect for our institutions. We must always put the stability of governance and the interest of the Filipino people above politics,” he added.

House Deputy Majority Leader and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong agreed, saying that an attempt to impeach the President is only meant to derail the government’s efforts to prosecute those behind the flood control mess.

“In order to at least try to evade probably or to segue the attention, this is one of the tactics and strategies to slow down the effort of this current administration to run after the corrupt officials whose names were implicated in this mess,” Adiong said in a television interview. 

Likewise, Adiong said that the House of Representatives will only act on impeachment complaints based on solid ground and evidence.

“The focus should remain on accountability and governance. Filing an impeachment complaint is one thing, but having the support for that impeachment complaint is another,” he added. —with Llanesca T. Panti and Tina Panganiban-Perez/KG/BM, GMA Integrated News