In Mindanao, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro Says Marcos Has No Role in VP Sara Duterte’s Impeachment Trial: ‘Due Process, Managot ang Dapat Managot’
CLAIRE CASTRO – Malacañang on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, again denied that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has any hand in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, as Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro took the message to the Duterte stronghold of Mindanao.
Speaking in a radio interview in Cagayan de Oro City, Castro said the Palace respects the line between the executive branch and Congress. “May separation of powers ang ehekutibo at ang Kongreso,” she said.
“Kung ano ang nangyayari diyan, kung paano ito tinatalakay, hindi po responsable ang Pangulo sa ginagawa ng Kongreso,” Castro added, saying the President is not responsible for how the trial is being handled in the legislature.
“Wala pong ginawang pangingialam ang Pangulo sa ginagawa ng Kongreso. Yun lang po ang nais ng Pangulo: due process, managot ang dapat managot. Kung malinis, eh di i-acquit. Yun lang naman po yun,” she said, stressing that the President only wants due process, accountability for those who should be held liable, and an acquittal if the Vice President is cleared.
‘Surveys are not evidence’
Castro also said the Vice President’s trust and approval ratings, which remain higher than the President’s, should not be used to question the credibility of the trial. “Hindi dahil mataas siya sa survey, hindi ibig sabihin na hindi na dapat makita yung mga ebidensya na pinupukol sa kaniya,” she said.
She challenged the Vice President to answer the accusation with proof. “Kung wala naman talagang kasalanan, madaling depensahan, madaling sabihin na ito ay hindi ko ginawa with evidence, hindi puwedeng bibig lang,” Castro said, adding that accountability and transparency are what a public servant should stand for.
The trial is set to resume on November 9, when the defense is expected to present witnesses and evidence against the lone remaining charge of alleged unexplained wealth. Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian has said the proceedings will likely stretch into December, as reported in Gatchalian: Sara Duterte Impeachment Trial Likely to Stretch Into December.
Succession talk ‘premature’
A day earlier, during a press briefing also in Cagayan de Oro, Castro called it “napaka-premature” to talk about who would replace the Vice President while the trial is still ongoing. “Igalang natin ang opisina ng Bise Presidente,” she said.
“Hindi pa po tapos ang impeachment trial. Hayaan nating gumulong ang proseso. ‘Yun naman ang nais ng Pangulo—gumulong ang proseso, due process,” Castro said.
She was reacting to Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano’s call for senator-judges to turn down the vice presidency if Duterte is convicted, as covered in Cayetano Urges Senator-Judges to Reject VP Post if Sara Duterte Is Convicted. Castro said Cayetano has no right to dictate on his fellow senators or to preempt the President’s decision. Sen. Panfilo Lacson also rejected Cayetano’s call, as reported in Lacson Pushes Back on Call for Senator-Judges to Reject VP Post.