By Celeste Tamayo

MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. emphasized that the executive branch has no involvement in the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio.

“No, the executive cannot have a hand in the impeachment. Walang role ang executive sa impeachment,” he said.

The President further noted that Congress and the executive are independent of each other, adding that he “doesn’t give guidance to Congress.”

“They will decide how they will proceed. I don’t think you can expect a congressman, a senator, the SP, or the Speaker to come to me and ask, ‘Oh, what do you want us to do?’ They have their own way of doing things,” the Chief Executive stressed.

“I do not give guidance to Congress. Again, you give too much credit that I can tell congressmen to do this or that. I cannot. I do not give guidance to Congress. We are independent of each other.”

On Wednesday, the last day of the Congressional session, the House of Representatives impeached Duterte and transmitted the articles of impeachment to the Senate.

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MANILA – The Supreme Court has instructed Congress and the Executive branch to submit their comments on a petition challenging the constitutionality of the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), also known as RA 12116.

In its en banc session on Tuesday, the Court addressed the petition filed against Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, and Senate President Francis Escudero. The petitioners, former executive secretary Victor Rodriguez, Isidro Ungab, and Rogelio Mendoza, argue that the GAA violates the Constitution by failing to allocate mandatory funds for PhilHealth, unlawfully increasing appropriations beyond the President’s proposals, and prioritizing infrastructure over education.

They also claimed the 2025 GAA’s Bicameral Committee Report included blank items. However, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has repeatedly stated that no blank items exist in the national budget. He emphasized this during the 20th National Convention of Lawyers in Cebu on January 30, explaining that he personally reviewed all 4,057 pages of the bill before making veto decisions.

Escudero dismissed the accusations as unfounded, pointing to the extensive legislative process involved. On Monday, Acting House Appropriations Chair Stella Quimbo reassured the public that the final enrolled bill contained no blank items and was open for verification.

The SC has set a 10-day deadline for Congress and the Executive to respond.

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