Palace says Dutertes seeking to regain power

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February 25, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The word war between the Marcos administration and the Duterte camp raged on yesterday as Malacañang accused the former president and his allies of resorting to defamation to regain power.

Reacting to former president Rodrigo Duterte’s remarks that the impeachment of his daughter Vice President Sara Duterte was meant to bar her from running in the 2028 polls, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro pointed out that the erstwhile leader and his supporters have been maligning the government in their rallies.

“We can really see where they are heading to. We can see it in all of their rallies. We have seen them defaming the government and the President. So we know where they are going. They want to regain power, authority,” Castro, who also serves as Palace press officer, told reporters yesterday.

Castro said President Marcos was not supportive of efforts to impeach Sara, but does not have control over the House of Representatives because of separation of powers.

“He won’t interfere. He won’t act whether it pushes through or not,” she said.

Earlier this month, the administration-dominated House of Representatives impeached Sara for her alleged failure to properly account for the confidential funds given to her office and for her threat, if she is assassinated, to have Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez killed.

A total of 215 members of the chamber signed the complaint, which had already been transmitted to the Senate for trial.

In an earlier media interview this month, Marcos distanced himself from the impeachment but claimed that the House was just performing its mandate under the Constitution.

During an indignation rally in Mandaue City, Duterte said politics was behind the move to impeach his daughter and that efforts were being made to destroy her reputation before the 2028 elections. The elder Duterte also accused Marcos of “veering toward a dictatorship,” claiming the President won’t step down after his term expires in 2028.

“We cannot just believe in intrigues without evidence. Perhaps you can recall that during the time of former president Rodrigo Duterte, he admitted that when he was still a fiscal, he was an expert in sowing intrigues and in planting evidence,” Castro said.

“Perhaps we have proven that during the time of Senator Leila de Lima. So what do we expect from former president Rodrigo Duterte? Sow intrigue. Plant evidence,” she said, referring to drug charges against De Lima that led to her detention for more than six years during the Duterte administration. She was later cleared of all the charges and ordered released.

Castro also hit Duterte for saying that Marcos had sold the Philippines’ gold reserves.

“Isn’t this another campaign joke by former president Duterte? Aren’t we used to his jetski promise? When we believed those who supported him, we were called ‘stupid.’ If we believe what he said, we might be mistaken again as stupid,” she said, referring to Duterte’s statement in 2016 that he would ride a jet ski to the Kalayaan Islands to assert Philippine rights in the West Philippine Sea.

“But anyway, we will take this seriously so there won’t be any fake news, especially among people listening to him and those who may still believe in him.”

Castro said Duterte’s allegation on the gold reserves was already addressed in October 2024.

“I am wondering why president Duterte keeps on repeating it. Does he not have economic experts who can inform him about the regular activities of BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas)?” she said.

“According to the BSP, selling gold is just a regular activity. Why? To pump up the economy. Even at the time of former president Duterte, it has been the job of BSP. Is he not aware of that?”

Asked if the Marcos administration would file charges against Duterte, Castro replied: “No. We will just answer the jokes he keeps on saying.”

Castro also responded to Duterte’s claim that crimes are rampant in the country and that illegal drugs are again flooding Manila, Cebu and Davao.

“Including Davao City? If we are talking about Davao City, who is the mayor of Davao City? It’s his son, right? Mayor Baste Duterte. So that means his son is very inefficient,” Castro said.

“Where is the data? At least now, there is a record of the fatalities. During his (Duterte) time, was there a record of people who suddenly disappeared? Let us ask that. Maybe he should find it out also.”

In defense of Marcos

Senate President Francis Escudero also defended the President from Duterte’s disparaging remarks, which he called “inconsistent, irrational and untrue.”

“I do not agree and do not subscribe to his accusation at all,” Escudero said.

“When their accusation that PBBM (Marcos) was a weak leader who was not in control did not fly, now they are accusing him of the exact opposite and now supposedly has dictatorial tendencies. It is not only inconsistent but also irrational and untrue,” Escudero said.

Allies of President Marcos in the House of Representatives also defended him.

“I’m sorry to say it’s fake news once again. Hello, fake news, Mr. Fake News. Let’s not bombard people with fake news all over. He just keeps on spewing fake news. Maybe it’s about time he changes tune,” House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V of La Union told reporters.

His colleague from Mindanao, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, also belied Duterte’s claim.

“The former president is open, he’s entitled naman to have his own opinion. We all have our own interpretations of all things. Of course, you cannot discount the fact that the Vice President is his daughter,” the Muslim legislator stressed.

Meanwhile, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III said Sunday that he is willing to testify against Vice President Sara Duterte if called by the impeachment court.

He said, however, that it would still be up to the Department of Justice and the prosecution panel to decide whether CIDG’s participation in the trial would be required.

The CIDG launched an investigation in November 2024 to track individuals whom Duterte allegedly contracted to assassinate the Marcos couple and Romualdez should a separate kill plot against her succeed.

“For now, let me not put the cart before the horse, because the investigation into VP Sara is being conducted jointly by the National Bureau of Investigation and the CIDG, under the DOJ,” Torre said during a news forum. — Cecille Suerte Felipe, Mark Ernest Villeza