MANILA – Malacañang on Thursday called on Vice President Sara Duterte to uphold the Constitution, citing restrictions on government officials having financial interests in certain business arrangements.
“Alam naman natin kung anong sinasabi ng Konstitusyon. Maliwanag sa Konstitusyon na hindi ka dapat magkaroon ng financial interest, lalong-lalo na kung may mga kontrata at kung ikaw ay Presidente (We know what the Constitution provides. It is clear that you should not have financial interests, particularly in contracts, if you are the President), Vice President, Cabinet members or Deputies ng (of) Cabinet secretaries,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a press briefing.
Castro issued the statement following reports that Duterte receives monthly payments from a business despite holding public office.
“Kung anong sinasabi ng konstitusyon, dapat iyon po ang manaig (What the Constitution says, it must prevail),” she said.
During the 43rd day of Duterte’s impeachment trial, GenCorp Industries Inc. in-house counsel Suzette Balucanag-Punay disclosed that Duterte received recurring monthly disbursements totaling PHP2.14 million from 2022 to 2025.
Castro declined to assess the credibility of the witnesses presented during the impeachment proceedings or their testimonies, saying the executive branch would allow the impeachment process to take its course.
She said evaluating the witnesses was not among the matters currently being considered by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who has other priorities to attend to.
She stressed that the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, must establish the truth and determine whether any wrongdoing was committed.
“So, ang tangi lamang na ginagawa sa ngayon ng Senado ay makita nating lahat kung ano ba ang katotohanan at kung mayroon bang dapat na makitang kamalian (For now, the Senate’s role is to allow everyone to see the truth and determine whether there were any wrongdoings),” Castro said.
“Dahil ang isang public servant dapat ay pinu-push, sinasaloob at pinangangalandakan ang mandato, ang adbokasiya at ang utos sa konstitusyon, transparency and accountability (A public servant must uphold, internalize and stand by their mandate, advocacy, and the provisions of the Constitution, particularly transparency and accountability),” she added. (Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos/PNA)
