Former congressman Mike Defensor on Thursday challenged Malacañang to conduct a “full and impartial“ investigation following the testimonies of alleged former Marines who claimed they delivered suitcases of cash to several government officials, including Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Defensor said in a statement, “Kung seryoso sila sa usapin ng corruption, ang nararapat nilang gawin ay hikayatin ang Blue Ribbon Committee ng Senado, ang Committee on Good Government ng Kamara, at ang Ombudsman na magsagawa ng full and impartial investigation sa mga testimonya ng mga Marines.”

He added, “Transparency and accountability — iyon ang dapat unahin, hindi diversion.”

The call comes after Palace Press Officer Usec. Claire Castro dismissed the bribery accusations and called Defensor a known "Wonder Boy" and likened him to “Ador Mawanay,” a Senate whistleblower, who made headlines in 2001 after accusing then Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson of maintaining hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign bank accounts and later reversed his testimony.

“They spun it wrong. I was never involved in the Ador Mawanay case — nowhere, in any angle whatsoever. That issue has long been clarified,” Defensor said.

He clarified that the case in question is actually “Udong Mahusay,” and noted that even Lacson had previously addressed the matter. Defensor warned against conflating different issues to create a misleading impression.

“Usec. Claire Castro, as spokesperson of the President, should be very careful with her statements. Hindi ito palengke o sari-sari store na puwedeng magbato ng tsismis na parang usapang Maritess. She speaks for the President and represents Malacañang,” he emphasized.

According to the former lawmaker, Castro’s statements “must be sober, precise, and statesmanlike.”

Defensor concluded by stressing that Malacañang should respond to the core issues rather than divert attention to personalities.