On Tuesday, Malacañang denied its involvement in the impeachment complaint filed against Vice President Sara Duterte.
"The impeachment complaint filed in the House of Representatives by several private citizens is clearly the complainants’ independent initiative, and its endorsement the prerogative of any Member of the House of Representatives," Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said in an official statement.
"The Office of the President has nothing to do with it," he added.
The statement pertains to the impeachment complaint lodged on Monday by community groups, including families of EJK victims, activists, and religious leaders, along with the Magdalo and Mamayang Liberal Partylists.
Furthermore, Akbayan Party-list Representative Perci Cendaña endorsed the complaint.
The impeachment complaint was filed on the grounds of betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, culpable violation of the Constitution, and other high crimes.
On November 22, the Vice President revealed in a virtual press conference that she already contracted someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she got killed.
The Palace then classified the statement as an "active threat" and referred it to the Presidential Security Command (PSC) for immediate action.
Furthermore, the alleged misuse of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) has been a key focus in the hearings led by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability.
Meanwhile, Bersamin emphasized that the President's earlier statement regarding the impeachment issue was unequivocal.
In an ambush interview on November 29, Marcos openly expressed his opposition to filing any impeachment complaint against Duterte, despite the recent rift.
