No more jokes: Claire Castro slams Duterte's gold reserve remarks

Newly appointed undersecretary for the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Atty. Claire Castro, criticized former President Rodrigo Duterte’s claim that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Marcos family sold off the country’s gold reserves.

“Isn't this another campaign joke by former President Duterte? Haven't we gotten used to his jet ski promise? When we believed him, most of those who supported him were called 'stupid.' So, if we believe what he says again, he might call us stupid again,” she said.

To recall, Duterte once said during his campaign that he would take the Philippine flag and plant it on the West Philippine Sea to assert the country’s sovereignty.

Castro said the Marcos administration would take Duterte’s statements seriously to counteract the spread of fake news. She also criticized the former president’s repeated claims about the nation’s gold reserves.

“Why does former President Duterte keep bringing this up? Doesn't he have economic experts to tell him what the BSP's regular activities really are?” she asked.

Earlier, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) issued a statement clarifying that gross international reserves (GIR), including gold, are solely managed by the central bank.

“The country’s GIR is not used for any other purpose other than meeting the country’s forex requirements,” the BSP said.

According to the BSP, the sale of the country’s gold is part of economic management.

“Tasked to manage the country’s external accounts, among other functions, the BSP has been buying and selling gold over the years as part of its core functions. When the BSP sells gold, the proceeds revert to and stay within the GIR,” it stressed.

The BSP noted that the GIR had increased from $103.8 billion to $106.3 billion.

While Castro said the administration would take the matter seriously, she clarified that the Palace would not file cases against Duterte but would respond to his statements.

Meanwhile, Duterte’s former Chief Presidential Counsel, Salvador Panelo, accused the Marcos administration of being the biggest spreader of fake news. He cited incidents such as police operations in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound in Davao City — where the Duterte camp claims authorities assaulted KOJC members — and the alleged “blank” items in the 2025 General Appropriations Act.

Castro dismissed the allegations, stating that the KOJC case is already in court and that Duterte’s camp should refrain from using diversionary tactics.

During a rally in Mandaue, Duterte claimed that crime had returned to Manila, Davao, and Cebu since Marcos assumed the presidency.

In response, Castro pointed to Duterte’s own son, Baste Duterte, who is the current mayor of Davao City.

“If we’re talking about Davao City, Who is the mayor of Davao, isn’t it his son, Mayor Baste Duterte? So, this means that his son is inefficient. Again, I’ll repeat it, where is the data?” she asked, referring to evidence linking the Marcos administration to Duterte’s accusations.

Castro also took a swipe at the previous administration’s drug war.

“Tandaan natin, noong panahon niya at least ngayon may record kung may namamatay, noong panahon niya mayroon bang nare-record doon sa mga biglang nawawalang mga tao? Tanong lang natin iyon. So, dapat iyon siguro alamin din niya. Pero as of now sabi nga natin anak niya ang namumuno sa Davao City, bakit ganoon ang kaniyang reason?" she said.

(Let us remember, during his time — and at least now, there is a record of when someone dies — but during his time, was there a record of people suddenly disappearing? Let's ask that. Maybe he should know that too. But as of now, his son is leading Davao City, so why is he reasoning like that?)

Castro urged Duterte to stop making baseless claims.

"Let's avoid those baseless intrigues. As of now, it's all intrigue. It's all intrigue that is being planted, it's being fed into our brains and it's damaging the country," she stressed.