Palace welcomes ‘legitimate’ opposition, vows to fight ‘obstructionists’ in Congress

Metro Manila, Philippines - Malacañang said it welcomes the presence of a “legitimate” opposition in the next Congress, but warned it will take action against so-called “obstructionists” who oppose the government for personal interests.

Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro made the statement on Tuesday, two days after the partial and unofficial results of the 2025 elections started coming in.

“Anumang kulay iyan, wini-welcome po talaga ng pangulo na makaisa ang bawat leaders natin… Inaasahan din po ng administrasyon ang presensiya ng lehitimong oppositionist pero lalabanan po ang mga obstructionists na nagtatago sa pangalan ng oppositionist, mga obstructionists na maaaring pansarili lamang ang kanilang ilalaban,” she said in a press briefing.

[Translation: Regardless of political color, the president welcomes unity among all our leaders... The administration also expects the presence of a legitimate opposition — but it will fight obstructionists who hide under the name of opposition but are only pushing for personal gain]

When asked to clarify the difference between a “legitimate” opposition and an “obstructionist,” Castro explained, “Kapag sinabi nating lehitimong oppositionist, ang ipinaglalaban nila ay ang bansa, ang interes ng taumbayan hindi ang personal na interes, Obstructionists, walang gagawin kung hindi manira, walang makikitang maganda sa ginagawa ng gobyerno at ang sariling interes lamang ang gustong palaguin,” she added.

[Translation: First of all, when we say legitimate opposition, they fight for the country, for the people’s interest not for personal interest.Obstructionists do nothing but attack, never see anything good in what the government is doing, and only seek to advance their own interests.]

She also warned that the Palace will respond to baseless attacks against the administration.