Palace Press Officer and Undersecretary Claire Castro has labeled the ‘suka’ remark made by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as an idiom.

In a campaign rally on 11 February in bailiwick Laoag, Ilocos Norte, Marcos said no candidate can compare to the administration-backed senatoriables of Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas saying that other candidates who look like they deliver suka or vinegar have a chance against admin bets.

In his defense, Castro said it is only an idiom or an expression with a figurative meaning.

“So, kapag sinabi natin kasi — ito, we know kapag sinabi nating nag-deliver ng suka, bumili lang ng suka, hindi naman ito literally na suka. I mean, ano lang ito eh, idiom. It’s just an idiom na sinabi na when we say, 'nag-deliver ng suka' it means baguhan, wala pang alam masyado sa pulitika o sa proseso, sa trabaho (When we say — this, we know when we say [they] ‘only deliver vinegar’ or ‘a vinegar buyer’, it's not literally ‘vinegar’. I mean, what is it, an idiom. It's just an idiom that says that when we say, 'nag-delivered ng suka' it means a newbie, a person who doesn't know much about politics or the process, about the work),” she said.

She lamented that there are candidates who do not know how a Senator works and got offended by the President’s remarks.

“Kung kayo ang tatanungin ko, maski naman kayo siguro alam ninyo, maraming kandidato na hindi alam ang trabaho ng pagiging senador. Kung tinamaan sila at tumatakbo sila at alam nating wala silang alam, eh iyon na lang siguro 'ouch!' and at the same time, dapat hindi nga sila tumakbo kasi hindi puwedeng gawing magpaka-apprentice sa pagiging senador (If I were to ask you, even though you probably know, there are many candidates who don't know the job of being a senator. If they get offended and then they still run and we know they don't know anything, then maybe ‘ouch!’ and at the same time, they shouldn't run because they can't be made to be apprentices to being a senator),” she said.

She added that it’s a waste of taxpayers’ money to see elected Senators who struggle with Senate procedures.

“Ang nangyayari minsan sa mga hearing, especially kung hindi nila alam ang procedure sa senado. Isang kawalan, sayang ang oras, kawalan ito sa pondo ng bayan. So, sana lang, ang request natin, doon sa mga tatakbo, siguraduhin ninyo naman po kapag nanalo kayo ay may alam na kayo. Iyon lang po (Things that happen now in hearings, especially if they don't know the procedure in the Senate. It's a loss, a waste of time, a waste of public funds. So, hopefully, our request is, to those who are running, make sure that when you win, you already know something. That's all.),” Castro said.

Marcos did not directly identifed candidates with his “suka” remark but allies of former President Rodrigo Duterte have called themselves as part of “Team Suka” particularly Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and senatorial-aspirant Jimmy Bondoc.

Castro also said Marcos’ remarks during campaign rallies are just campaign propaganda.

“Regarding to the issue that the President was the first to criticize? It's just part of the campaign propaganda and he didn't call out anyone — there are many candidates. We're just wondering again why they were mad? They were not called out, it’s like, 'Bato, bato sa langit, tamaan ay huwag magalit,' Why did anyone get angry? Was anyone hit?” she said.

On a separate issue, Castro stressed that she will only respond to intrigues that make sense.

“We will only answer those intrigues that make sense. If the intrigue has no meaning, no sense, we will not answer it,” she said.

Castro’s first interaction with the media under her new position is to respond to intrigues set by Marcos’ critics, particularly former President Rodrigo Duterte.