MANILA – Former president Rodrigo Duterte is merely good at creating rumors and planting evidence, newly appointed Palace press officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said on Monday.
Interviewed by the media after taking her oath at the Malacañang Palace, Castro said Duterte has no evidence on his claim that President Ferdinand ‘”Bongbong” Marcos Jr. might not cede power when his term ends in 2028.
“Ang una kong sinabi diyan noon, anong ebidensya, paano mapapatunayan? Tatlo lang ang sinabi ko, hindi tayo puwedeng maniwala sa mga pang-iintriga lamang na walang ebidensya at ito naman siguro naman eh natatandaan ninyo na noong panahon ni dating Pangulong Duterte, inamin niya, fiscal pa lang siya, expert na siya sa pang-intriga at pagplanta ng ebidensya,” Castro said.
“Siguro naman napatunayan na natin ‘yan sa panahon ni senator Leila de Lima, so ano pa ba ang ating i-expect sa dating Pangulong Duterte? Gumawa ng intriga, magplanta ng ebidensya,” she added.
Castro also said the former Chief Executive is creating intrigues as they want to regain position and power in the government.
“So alam na natin kung saan ang punta nila, gusto nila ulit makuha ang power, ang authority, ang position,” Castro said.
Duterte said in a rally in Mandaue, Cebu on Saturday that Marcos might impose martial law like his late father, former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., to guarantee a no-election situation and extend his stay in Malacañang.
Duterte further said political opponents also want to remove his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, this early in order to eliminate her as a possible candidate in the 2028 presidential race.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, in response, dismissed the latest tirades of Duterte as merely a “tall tale” from a “tyrant who did not respect the rights of the people.”/PN
