New PCO Usec Castro takes aim at Duterte over "intrigue"

Newly appointed Undersecretary for the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Atty. Claire Castro, criticized former President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement accusing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of “veering towards a dictatorship.”

During a rally on Saturday, Duterte said he wouldn’t be surprised if Marcos followed in the footsteps of his father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., and declared martial law to secure his position in 2028.

“The first thing that should be asked is, what is the evidence? How can it be proven? Like I said, we can't just believe in speculation without evidence,” Castro told Palace reporters in a chance interview in Filipino.

“Maybe you remember during former President Duterte’s time. He admitted that when he was still a prosecutor, he was an expert in creating intrigue and planting evidence. So, what can we expect from former President Duterte? Create intrigue. Plant evidence,” she added.

She noted that the former president had done the same to former senator Leila de Lima, a staunch critic of his administration.

Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, is expected to run for the presidency in 2028. She is currently facing removal from office after being impeached by the House of Representatives.

Castro reiterated that Marcos is not involved in the impeachment complaints against the Vice President, despite claims from other camps.

“Well, that's their opinion. We clearly see their actions in all their rallies. They are attacking the government and the President. So, we know their goal — they want to regain power and authority,” she said.

On Sunday, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin echoed similar sentiments, dismissing Duterte’s statements as “baseless and ridiculous.”