Kabataan Partylist Rep. Renee Co hit back at Palace Press Officer Claire Castro’s remarks which defended the right of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the Pamantasang Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM).

The lawmaker reiterated her belief and maintained that Marcos was not suitable for such honor given the fact that he along with his family was responsible for countless Filipinos suffering and the loss of billions of public funds.

“There is no belittlement and in not forgetting the violent martial law, its victims such as Liliosa Hilao of PLM, and the billions of pesos stolen by the Marcoses then and now,” Co said in a statement.

“This coming September 21, we will show what the youth learned about the past and the present–and the position that the blood shed would be buried in falsehoods or forgotten,” she added.

Her remarks served as a response to Castro’s previous sentiments that directly questioned the persistent criticism of the lawmaker to the actions of the President.

The communications undersecretary explained that the honor bestowed on Marcos merely recognized his achievements and contributions, noting that Co seemingly misunderstood the meaning of such recognition.

Castro explained that the President had shown that he was worthy of such a privilege for his work in upholding the rights of the country in the West Philippine Sea, assistance afforded to overseas Filipinos affected in the Middle Eastern crisis, and actions related to the oil crisis.

Doubling down on her view of the lawmaker, the Palace official further challenged the educational background of the Kabataan representative.

“We really can not say that all congressmen or congresswomen who are lawyers are honorable or make sense when they speak,” Castro expressed.

“As far as I know, arrogance is not taught in law school,” she added.

Castro, who herself is a lawyer, claimed that the Co’s criticism of the PLM’s decision to acknowledge Marcos’ achievements were a reflection of “her [Co} own shortcomings.”

“The achievements of the president are likely things Congresswoman Renee Co has never accomplished. She certainly has never saved a life from a situation where the death penalty was a certainty,” she said.

In an earlier statement, Co said that the honorary law degree set a bad example for students that were actively studying law and an insult to the hundreds of lawyers in the country.

The lawmaker stressed that the Marcos kin was yet to be held accountable for the multiple crimes that they allegedly committed during the Martial Law era.

“There is no honor in widespread corruption and criminal negligence. How can we say that Marcos Jr. is honorable to the law if he himself benefitted from the billions stolen by him and his family?” she asked.