MANILA — Malacañang has dismissed speculation over who might replace Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio if she is removed from office, insisting that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is not entertaining succession discussions as the Senate impeachment court prepares to hear the defense against the remaining unexplained-wealth charge.
Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said the President has neither considered potential replacements nor discussed Duterte-Carpio’s impeachment during official meetings, emphasizing that his priority is to ensure the proceedings are conducted with due process.
“Hindi po naiisip ng Pangulo yan, sa totoo. Hindi po napaguusapan. Sa ngayon, kahit kami ay nagmi-meeeting, hindi napag-uusapan ang impeachment,” Castro said in an interview on GMA’s Unang Balita.
“Ang nais lang po talaga niya ay due process,” Castro added.
The Palace’s clarification came amid heightened political uncertainty following the House prosecution panel’s controversial decision to withdraw three of the four impeachment articles against Duterte-Carpio, leaving only the charge involving alleged unexplained wealth.
The remaining Article II accuses the Vice President of unexplained wealth arising from alleged omissions in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) and failure to divest business interests as required by the Constitution.
Despite the narrowing of the case, prosecutors maintain that the remaining allegations are sufficient to warrant Duterte-Carpio’s removal from office for alleged constitutional violations and betrayal of public trust.
Duterte-Carpio, however, has categorically rejected calls for her resignation, declaring on Tuesday that she intends to remain in office despite the impeachment proceedings.
“Will not resign, will never resign from the Office of the Vice President,” Duterte-Carpio said.
Castro said the decision to resign or remain in office belongs entirely to the Vice President and that the Marcos administration would not interfere.
She nevertheless criticized Duterte-Carpio’s earlier call for Marcos to step down, dismissing the demand as “malaking kalokohan.”
Meanwhile, the Vice President’s legal team has questioned the prosecution’s withdrawal of three impeachment articles, arguing that abandoning the charges effectively acknowledged the lack of sufficient basis for pursuing them.
The defense also raised concerns over the fairness of dropping allegations after prosecutors had already presented evidence on some of the charges.
Castro disputed the criticism, pointing out that Duterte-Carpio’s lawyers had not formally objected when the withdrawal was taken up before the Senate impeachment court.
“Ang pagbitiw sa articles of impeachment, hindi naman natin nakitaan ng objection ‘yung defense team, nagbigay lang sila ng manifestation. But the team did not give any objection,” she said.
The Palace official stressed that merely expressing a position during the proceedings was not equivalent to filing a formal objection.
“So, parang wala naman dapat sisihin dito, kasi parang sinisisi nila ang prosecution, ‘yung senador-judges, pero kung babasahin mo lahat, mapapanood mo lahat ng hearing, wala tayong maririnig na objection, iba ‘yung objection sa manifestation,” Castro said.
The withdrawal of the three articles effectively removed allegations involving the misuse of confidential funds, bribery of Department of Education officials, and grave threats against Marcos and his family from the impeachment trial.
The prosecution has opted to concentrate on the unexplained-wealth allegations, which it considers sufficient to establish grounds for Duterte-Carpio’s conviction.
The Vice President and her camp have consistently denied wrongdoing.
Under the Constitution, a conviction by at least two-thirds of all Senate members would result in Duterte-Carpio’s removal from office and could carry disqualification from holding public office.
Should a vacancy arise in the vice presidency, the Constitution authorizes the President to nominate a replacement from among the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, subject to confirmation by a majority vote of all members of both chambers, voting separately.
For now, however, Malacañang maintains that any discussion of a successor is premature.
The Senate impeachment court is expected to resume proceedings in November, when Duterte-Carpio’s defense team is set to present its evidence in response to the remaining charge./PN
