FACT CHECK: No Marcos order to stop impeachment proceedings vs VP Sara

Claim: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the Senate to stop the impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte.

Rating: FALSE 

Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook reel bearing the claim has already garnered 407,000 views, 2,000 reactions, 749 comments, and 181 shares as of writing. It was posted on May 23, days after the Senate convened as an impeachment court. 

The post shows photos of Marcos and Duterte with text that reads, “Impeachment laban kay VP Sara ipinatigil ng Pangulo. Ayon sa Pangulo ay nagpadala umano siya ng mensahe sa mga senador na ipatigil na ang impeachment dahil hindi naman mahalaga ang Vice President sa mga bagong proyekto na kanyang ginagawa.” 

(The President halted the impeachment of VP Sara. According to the President, he allegedly sent a message to senators to halt the impeachment because the Vice President is not important in the new projects he is working on.) 

Many social media users believed the claim. One commenter questioned the President’s motives for supposedly ordering a halt to the impeachment proceedings, speculating that he may be trying to hide his alleged involvement in the controversial flood control scandal.

The facts: There is no order from Marcos to stop the impeachment trial in the Senate. In fact, Malacañang said on May 18 that the President will not interfere in the proceedings. 

“We know that an impeachment trial is the work and mandate of the Senate. There is no need for the President to interfere in the Senate’s mandate because we have separation of powers,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said.

Under the doctrine of separation of powers, the President cannot meddle in the impeachment trial, as this process is within the powers of the legislative branch. The House of Representatives initiates the impeachment case while the Senate serves as an impeachment court. 

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has the power to review impeachment-related matters in cases involving grave abuse of discretion, such as violations of constitutional limits like the one-year bar rule.

Marcos’ position on Duterte impeachment: In 2024, Marcos, who was once an ally of Duterte, bluntly opposed the first impeachment drive against Duterte, describing the process as “not important” and a “waste of time.” 

Marcos began refusing to comment on the impeachment in 2025, saying he has no role in the process and that it was the duty of the legislature. The Palace maintained its position even until the new impeachment trial against Duterte, saying that it is leaving the verdict to the senators. 

Impeachment: The Senate convened as an impeachment court on May 18. A writ of summons, directing Duterte to respond to the allegations against her, has already been issued. The House prosecution team is also expected to reply after receiving Duterte’s response. The evidence will then be discussed and presented in the pre-trial phase. 

Duterte has been impeached by the House twice, first in February 2025 and for the second time in May 2026. New impeachment articles were filed against Duterte in February 2026, after the Supreme Court declared the previous impeachment process unconstitutional for violating the one-year bar rule. 

The offenses against Duterte cited her alleged misuse of confidential funds as vice president and education secretary, the discrepancy between her bank transaction records and her declared net worth, her alleged monetary gifts to education department officials, and her alleged threats to assassinate Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former House speaker Martin Romualdez. – Angelee Kaye Abelinde/Rappler.com 

Angelee Kaye Abelinde is a student journalist based in Naga City, and an alumna of Rappler’s Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship 2024. 

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