PBBM confident of innocence, Palace says as impeachment raps advance

By Darryl John Esguerra, Philippine News Agency

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (Bongbong Marcos/facebook)

MANILA – Malacañang on Monday said it respects the impeachment process against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., stressing that the Chief Executive is confident he committed no wrongdoing.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro made the statement after the House Committee on Justice declared two impeachment complaints against Marcos sufficient in form.

“That’s the process, we have to respect that,” Castro said in a Palace press briefing.

She said Marcos has long maintained that he did nothing wrong, violated no law, and committed no impeachable offense.

“Kumpiyansa siya sa sarili niya (He is confident in himself),” Castro said.

The House justice panel on Monday voted 46-1-1 to declare sufficient in form the impeachment complaint filed on Jan. 19 by lawyer Andre de Jesus, as well as the second complaint filed on Jan. 26 by a group of activists and former lawmakers, which was approved by a 45-9-1 vote.

The committee’s deliberations focused on procedural matters such as signing and notarization, and lasted about two hours.

The panel is set to determine the sufficiency in substance of the complaints in a hearing scheduled on Tuesday (Feb. 3).