February 5, 2026
MANILA – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomed the House Committee on Justice’s dismissal of the two impeachment complaints filed against him and urged critics to “move forward,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said on Wednesday.
In a media interview at Malacañang, Castro was asked about Marcos’ reaction to the House of Representatives Committee on Justice’s declaration that the two impeachment complaints were insufficient in substance.
“He was pleased. He said the process was followed, and that is what the President wants—to uphold due process and arrive at the truth,” Castro, speaking Filipino, told reporters.
She added that lawmakers thoroughly reviewed the accusations raised in the complaints.
“To our fellow citizens, we hope you saw that lawmakers went through each accusation one by one, and that this process helped clarify the issues and make things clear to everyone,” she said in Filipino.
Asked for Marcos’ message to those who filed the impeachment complaints, Castro said the President wants to move on.
“It’s good that they are now better informed. But the President said, ‘Let’s move forward,’ because his focus now is on the economy and on improving the lives of every Filipino,” she added.
Castro also said the Palace is satisfied that proper procedures were followed and expressed gratitude that lawmakers were able to see the merits of the case.
“We saw that the complaints truly had no merit, and even the President himself is confident that he did not commit any impeachable offense,” she said in Filipino.
She reiterated that the President remains focused on economic growth.
“At this point, the President is focused on uplifting the country’s economy, which is why he said, ‘Let’s move forward,’” she added.
The Palace official also dismissed claims that Marcos was confident the impeachment complaints would fail because of his alleged influence over House leadership.
“That is not true. Even individuals who are not supporters of the President have said that the complaints were weak and without merit. Several lawyers have pointed this out,” Castro said.
“I will mention some of them, including Attorney de Leon. Other constitutional law experts have also said that the impeachment complaint filed against the President was weak,” she added.
In the first impeachment complaint against Marcos, only one lawmaker—Pusong Pinoy party-list Rep. Jernie Jett Nisay—voted to declare it sufficient in substance, while 42 voted against the motion. Three members of the Makabayan bloc abstained.
The first complaint was filed by Atty. Andre de Jesus, who accused Marcos of betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution, among other charges.
In the second complaint, only seven lawmakers voted to declare it sufficient in substance, while 39 voted against it, with no abstentions. The complaint, filed by the Makabayan bloc, alleged that Marcos committed betrayal of public trust over the adoption of the Baselined-Balanced-Managed Parametric Formula in allocating infrastructure projects. /jpv