President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte lead the Basic Education Report 2024 at the Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City on January 25, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA -- Malacanang says President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is not keen on calling for a special session for the Senate to act on the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, noting the President’s awkward position amid allegations that the Philippine leader is behind moves to impeach Duterte.

"Para pong–the way we see it, it would be an awkward position on the part of the President to voluntarily call for a special session, considering that there is this ongoing intrigues that the President is behind the impeachment proceedings," Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a Malacanang briefing.

"So, it is better for the senate to request the President considering that even the President made this pronouncement that if the senate will ask him to call for a special session, he will do so."

READ: Marcos Jr. urged to call for Senate special session to convene as impeachment court

READ: Sara Duterte seeks to block her impeachment trial

Castro says that the Palace has yet to receive any request from the Senate to call for a special session.

Pro-impeachment lawmakers have criticized the Senate leadership for not convening immediately as an impeachment court, even as the Constitution is clear that the upper chamber should act on the impeachment "forthwith."

"Marami pong mga iba-ibang klase ng opinyon but if you will look and read the provisions of the constitution, you will see po to forthwith proceed, right? Pero wala pong makikitang time element. Is it to forthwith proceed even during recess? Because they can proceed definitely if there is session, there’s no question about that. But, to proceed during recess, grey area po iyan sa constitution," she said. 

"So, they may forthwith proceed after the recess. ‘Pag may session po walang problema eh, they have to do. But during the recess, wala pong sinasabi ang konstitusyon na you have to call for a special session to proceed with the impeachment proceedings or with the impeachment trial. Wala po kasing ganoon nakasabi sa konstitusyon."

On Monday, three lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc at the House of Representatives urged the president to call for a special session of Congress so that the Senate may convene as an impeachment court.

They issued the statement after Senate President Francis Escudero said that the Senate, on its own, cannot call for a special session.

Duterte last week filed a legal challenge challenging her impeachment at the Supreme Court. 

In her petition, Duterte questioned the validity and constitutionality of the fourth impeachment complaint that was eventually transmitted by the House of Representatives.

-- with reports from Vivienne Gulla, Katrina Domingo, Adrian Ayalin, and Paige Javier, ABS-CBN News

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