Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro drew mixed — and heated — reactions online after likening Vice President Sara Duterte’s expression to a fictional horror movie character during a recent livestream.

In the video, Castro remarked that Duterte’s face changed when she heard the name of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., comparing her expression to “Chucky,” the infamous doll from the Child’s Play film franchise.

“She only heard the name PBBM — look at her again. She actually looks like that when she makes that face,” Castro said in Filipino during the livestream.

The clip circulated on Castro’s personal social media account, where she maintains a disclaimer stating that her views and reactions do not necessarily reflect official pronouncements from Malacañang.

Still, the comment quickly ignited debate, with some netizens — particularly those identifying as members of the legal community — arguing that Castro, a lawyer, should face disciplinary action, including possible disbarment, over the remark.

Asked to respond to the calls for accountability, Castro pushed back, saying there were far more serious acts that warranted disbarment.

“There is more ground for disbarment for a lawyer who spoke to an assassin to take the lives of the President, the First Lady, and the Speaker of the House. There is more ground for disbarment for a lawyer who admits to killing, stealing from the public treasury, and paying for murder,” Castro said.

Her statement alluded to a November 2024 livestream in which Vice President Duterte said that if anything were to happen to her, a certain individual had been tasked to kill President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Castro also took aim at what she described as selective outrage, arguing that free speech is often fiercely defended while corruption issues receive less attention.

“Freedom of expression is always fought for, but not corruption — such as the use of AFP certifications meant for a youth summit to justify P15 million in confidential funds that were supposedly not even spent. Atty. Michael Poa knows this too well,” she said.

She was referring to the controversy that hounded the Department of Education under Duterte last year, when it was scrutinized over the use of Armed Forces of the Philippines certifications in relation to confidential fund disbursements in 2023.