President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. respects the Supreme Court’s (SC) ruling declaring unconstitutional the Articles of Impeachment earlier filed against Vice President Sara Duterte, Malacañang said.

During a press briefing on Friday, January 30, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said the President and his administration would abide by whatever decision the SC renders, following the ruling that rejected the impeachment complaint filed last year against the Vice President.

“Igagalang po ng pangulo [at] ng administrasyon kung anuman po ang naging desisyon ng Supreme Court [on VP Duterte impeachment],” Castro said.

“Hindi naman po ito makakaapekto sa mga priority bills na nais ng Pangulo na maipasa. So muli, Supreme Court po ang final arbiter ng mga legal issues. So, nire-respeto po ‘yan ng Pangulo,” she stressed.

On Thursday, January 29, the SC En Banc upheld its ruling that the Articles of Impeachment against the Vice President are unconstitutional, denying the House of Representatives’ motion for reconsideration.

Malacañang, however, declined to comment on reports that the House of Representatives is allegedly considering changes to its impeachment rules in light of the decision.

“Trabaho po 'yan ng Kongreso. Hindi po makikialam ang Pangulo,” Castro noted.

Asked whether the administration believes the Court ruling, described by some critics as being based merely on technical grounds and not a full 'vindication' of Vice President Duterte, could help ease political tensions in the country, Castro said the decision should be read and understood based on its contents.

“Makikita naman po at mababasa natin kung ano naging desisyon ng Supreme Court. Hindi po ito patungkol sa paglilinis sa isang issue ng nasabing subject matter sa nasabing desisyon. So kung may pananagutan, sabi nga po ng Pangulo, kung dapat managot, dapat managot,” she emphasized.