MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. expected the dismissal of the impeachment complaints filed against him because of their lack of substance, not because of a favorable vote count in Congress, Malacañang said.
Palace press officer Claire Castro said the President was confident the accusations would not stand scrutiny and denied that he was relying on political support to defeat the complaints.
“Kung botohan ang pag-uusapan natin, hindi naman mag-i-expect ang Pangulo dyan,” Castro said in an interview with Bilyonaryo News Channel’s “Agenda” on Wednesday night.
“Pero kung sasabihin natin ang nilalaman ng impeachment complaints, sigurado ang Pangulo na wala siyang nilabag na anumang batas o anumang impeachable offense na masasabi,” she added.
The House justice committee on Wednesday ruled that the two impeachment complaints against Marcos were insufficient in substance.
Castro said Marcos was satisfied that the issue went through proper procedures, emphasizing that the administration viewed the outcome as a validation of the legal process.
“So natutuwa ang Pangulo at masaya naman na nagkaroon ng proseso, natupad ang proseso — rule of law ang nanaig. Ang katotohanan ay lumabas dahil sa pagboto na ito na pabor na mabasura yung mga impeachment complaints,” she said.
She also rejected claims that the Palace coordinated with House leaders to influence the dismissal of the cases, pointing to the President’s recent illness and his focus on economic matters in private meetings.
“Walang naganap na anumang pagpupulong patungkol dyan,” she said. “So ang sabi nga ng Pangulo, let’s move forward. Dahil talaga ang tinututukan ng Pangulo ngayon ay ekonomiya, pati yung pag-angat ng buhay ng bawat Pilipino.”
Castro said prolonging an impeachment dispute involving the President could create an image of instability that might hurt the economy and dampen investor confidence, suggesting this was a factor in the swift resolution of the complaints.
“Hindi nagiging maganda kung parang laging dwindling ka, may instability ang dating. So mas maganda po talaga na magkaroon ng pagtuldok dito,” she said./PN
