MANILA (Bloomberg): The Philippine Supreme Court’s decision that invalidated the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte did not determine the merits of the case but merely faulted the procedure, according to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
"The Supreme Court decision does not have any bearing on the rightness or wrongness of the merits of the impeachment case,” Marcos told reporters at a briefing in India on Friday, according to a video posted by Philstar.com.
He is due to return to Manila tonight after a state visit to the South Asian nation.
"They didn’t say that there was no wrongdoing. Neither are they saying there was wrongdoing. All they say is that you didn’t handle it properly. That’s it. That’s why accountability just doesn’t come into it yet,” Marcos said.
They were the most detailed comments made by the Philippine leader since the high court last month unanimously decided that the complaint against his estranged deputy violated the constitutional rule that only one impeachment proceeding may be initiated against the same official within one year.
The court said a new impeachment complaint can only be filed against Duterte in February 2026.
The Senate, which convened as an impeachment court in June, archived the case this week following the court’s decision, which means it won’t proceed with the trial against the vice president that was set to begin this month, in a relief for the embattled politician.
A two-thirds vote by the Senate to convict Duterte could lead to her permanent disqualification from public office.
The vice president, daughter of ex-leader Rodrigo Duterte, was impeached in February by the House of Representatives on accusations that include plotting to assassinate Marcos and misusing public funds. She denies the charges.
"What the Supreme Court said was that the House’s handling of the impeachment complaint was not right,” Marcos said.
The president, who has feuded with Sara Duterte following their 2022 election team-up, reiterated that he has no role in the impeachment case. He said it would also be "highly improper” for him to tell his allies in the Senate and House what to do.
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