President Marcos Clarifies Supreme Court Ruling
During his state visit to India, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. addressed the recent Supreme Court decision concerning the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte. He emphasized that the ruling focused solely on procedural matters and did not evaluate the actual content of the complaint.
“Let me clarify. The merits of the case were not examined by the Supreme Court… This does not decide the merits of the case. It just talked about procedure. So the procedure was faulty, was lacking. So that is the assessment of the Supreme Court,” the President told reporters accompanying the Philippine delegation.
He added, “It has no bearing on the rightness or wrongness of the impeachment.” Marcos stressed that no trial has taken place and the substance of the impeachment complaint was never debated.
Procedural Issues Highlighted by Supreme Court
“Again, there has been no trial. So the merits of the case have not been examined, tried, adjudicated, argued, discussed. So, accountability just doesn’t come into it. People have to understand, it is a procedural question,” Marcos explained.
The President elaborated that the Supreme Court found the timing and handling of the impeachment process to be incorrect. “They said the date was wrong, the way the House did it was not correct. It had nothing to do with the contents of the impeachment complaint, but with how the impeachment was handled,” he said.
Executive Branch Not Involved in Impeachment
Marcos also clarified that the executive branch played no part in the impeachment proceedings. “I keep telling you, the executive has no role in this. The president has no role. I’m an impeachable officer. I cannot involve myself in any of this. So, it’s really the Supreme Court, the Senate and the House,” he stated.
In related developments, the Senate approved a motion to formally accept the Supreme Court’s decision dated July 25, 2025, effectively archiving the impeachment complaint. This motion, introduced by Senator Rodante Marcoleta, was passed with a significant majority while a motion to delay it was defeated.
The Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling found that the impeachment violated the Constitution’s one-year bar rule and failed to afford due process to the respondent. Consequently, the tribunal invalidated the impeachment proceedings from the start, according to sources.
For more news and updates on Supreme Court decision on impeachment procedure, visit Filipinokami.com.
