Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro on Friday fired back at Vice President Sara Duterte after the latter described President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as "walanghiya," saying the Vice President was "walang modo" whenever she was not reading from a prepared script.

"Ang Bise Presidente kapag walang script na binabasa, walang modo. Lumalabas ang totoong anyo," Castro said in a Viber message to reporters.

The exchange stemmed from Duterte's remarks in Davao City, where she rejected calls to lead an extra-constitutional movement against the administration but added that she wanted the public "to see until the end how shameless BBM is." Castro countered that the term was more fitting for "murderers, assassins, those who intimidate people, and purveyors of fake news," adding that Duterte's description "reflects her own family."

Castro also accused the Vice President of previously expressing a desire to remove Marcos from office, citing a speech she allegedly delivered in the Netherlands on 19 July 2025. She challenged Duterte to stop pretending to be uninvolved in destabilization efforts and instead restrain her allies if she truly opposes such actions.