Senator Imee Marcos expressed her disappointment in Malacanang's decision for Cabinet members skipping Thursday's Senate hearing on former president Rodrigo Duterte's arrest for alleged crimes against humanity in the International Criminal Court (ICC), despite the Palace's initial statement that officials would attend.

In an interview with reporters on Tuesday, Marcos said she received a letter from Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin last night, saying that Cabinet members would not be attending the hearing on April 3.

"I'm saddened because there's a lot of questions because I was only able to handle a preliminary report. There's a lot of new information that hopefully would have been an opportunity for confusing answers, data that doesn't match up, and the public's questions to be answered by the government," Marcos said.

The letter, dated March 31, stated that Malacanang believed that participation of Cabinet members is no longer necessary in the investigation for "all matters not covered by executive privilege have already been extensively discussed."

Malacanang also said in the letter that the Senate's hearing on the Duterte case may possibly interfere with the pending four petitions filed by the former president's children, which are 'closely intertwined with the agenda items being deliberated in the hearings'.

Marcos also questioned Malacanang's previous comment in a press conference on Monday, saying that the Palace would not interfere in the ongoing investigation.

"The President said the cabinet members and secretary wouldn't be prohibited to come, but it's clear in the letter that they were prohibited, that they won't attend," Marcos explained.

Marcos said that she will send a letter to the Office of the President, requesting their attendance to the Senate hearing scheduled on April 3.

The first Senate hearing of former president Duterte’s arrest was held on March 20 led by Senator Marcos, who released the panel’s preliminary findings a week after pointing to ‘glaring lapses’ in Duterte’s arrest. Yzabela Velez-White/DMS