Marcos stands by Remulla as DILG faces criticism over ‘walang pasok’ posts

Metro Manila, Philippines - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. defended Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla’s informal tone in making public announcements, saying it’s simply his communication style.

In an interview with reporters in Washington D.C. following his bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump, Marcos said what’s important is Remulla is able to deliver the message across.

“So that information is better, it’s simple to make things clearer because sometimes nagkaka-problema, hindi naman malicious, misinformed lang tapos pino-post, sinusundan ng tao,” he said on Wednesday, July 23.

(Translation: Sometimes problems occur; it’s not malicious, just misinformation that gets posted and people follow it.]

When asked about criticisms of Remulla’s way of communicating, Marcos added that Remulla has his own style.

“Criticize him for the way he speaks? That’s the way he speaks. As long as he gets his message across… as long as he achieves that, I’m not exactly a judge of literary style,” he added.

The remarks came amid public backlash over the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) July 22 Facebook post announcing class suspensions due to heavy rains and flooding caused by the southwest monsoon.

The post read: “Mga Abangers, sarap ng bogchi ko. Sa kabusugan ay naka-idlip nang sandali. Oh eto na inaabangan ninyo,” paired with a graphic that appeared to show the message came from Remulla.

[Translation: To those waiting: I enjoyed my meal so much that I fell asleep for a bit. Here’s what you’ve been waiting for.]

Many netizens, along with actors Jake Ejercito and Jessy Mendiola, criticized the casual tone, saying it trivialized an urgent matter.

Ejercito commented that humor had no place in such announcements, while Mendiola questioned whether the post was intended to be taken seriously.

The DILG has yet to respond to the backlash.

Remulla previously confirmed that his office has been authorized to issue class suspension announcements, with Presidential Communications Office Secretary Dave Gomez saying Remulla makes these on behalf of the Cabinet and the Palace.