Metro Manila, Philippines – Malacañang rejected Vice President Sara Duterte’s remarks that the administration is targeting lawmakers who communicate with her.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro these were baseless, fabricated, and a way of spreading misinformation.
“It’s another story-telling, a lie,” Castro said in a Palace briefing on Wednesday, Feb 11.
“Nandiyan din po iyong mga fake videos, hindi isa, kung hindi dalawa, laban sa pangulo at sa ating unang ginang. Lahat ng iyan ay fake,” he said
[Translation: There were also fake videos – not just one but two – against the president and the first lady. All of those were fake.]
Castro said critics could “tell it to the Marines,” an idiom to express disbelief about the supposed harassment of senators.
“So, sino ba talaga ang may kakayanan na gumawa ng karahasan? Sino ba ang nagbabanta ng buhay? So, sa mga ganyang statement, just tell it to the Marines,” she added.
[Translation: Who is more capable of violence? Who has threatened the life of the president? For those kinds of statements, just tell it to the Marines.]
Protection from administration
Duterte said in a chance interview in Zamboanga City that she had stopped communicating with senators to protect them from retaliation by the administration.
“Kapag mayroong kumakausap o tumutulong sa akin, binabanatan ng administrasyon, pina-file-an ng kaso, tini-threaten at hina-harass,” she said.
[Translation: “When someone talks to me or helps me, the administration goes after them, files cases, threatens and harasses them.”]
“I don’t talk to people just to save them from the wrath of the administration. The same goes for senators,” she added.
The Senate leadership had a recent attempted leadership coup against Senate President Vicente Sotto III, reportedly averted through a proposed power-sharing with Sen. Loren Legarda in the last half of the regular session.
Health rumors
Meanwhile, Castro also dismissed online rumors about the president’s health, including a claim by ex-Duterte presidential spokesperson Harry Roque that the chief executive underwent colostomy.
“These rumors and gossip have no truth and damage the government, the president and even the economy,” she said, urging the public to reject unverified information.
