Palace denies planting Marcos impeachment raps

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

January 20, 2026 | 3:21pm

MANILA, Philippines — The Palace on Tuesday, January 20, denied that the impeachment complaint lodged against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was deliberately implanted as a means to distract the public. 

This was after Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte called the impeachment against Marcos a mere political maneuver, alleging that the complaint came from Andre de Jesus, a lawyer who also represented First Lady Liza Marcos. 

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro dismissed Duterte’s claims, saying that the Marcos admin did not know how to plant evidence or create intrigue. 

If the impeachment complaint was weak, it was only because other parties could not find substantial grounds. 

Castro also firmly denied that the lawyer who filed the impeachment complaint represented the First Lady, calling this claim “fake news”. 

Asked if the Marcos administration had anything to do with the impeachment complaint, Castro said “definitely none.” 

“Hindi po tayo sangkot sa anumang pagplanta ng ebidensiya katulad ng ginawa ng kaniyang ama. Sila lang po yata ang sanay sa ganoon. So, sa panahon po ni Pangulong Marcos Jr., nirirespeto po natin ang Konstitusyon, ang proseso at ang due process,” Castro said. 

(We are not involved in any fort of evidence planting like what his father did. Only they are used to this. So in President Marcos Jr.’s time, we respect the constitution, the process, and due process.) 

Castro vaguely alluded to former president Rodrigo Duterte. The former president's bloody war on drugs had become notorious for planting fake evidence in police shootouts. 

The war on drugs eventually would land the elder Duterte in detention at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands.