Malacañang on Wednesday fired back at Vice President Sara Duterte after she claimed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. could finish the ongoing probe into anomalous flood control projects in just one day if he truly wanted to.

During a press briefing, Palace Press Officer and Undersecretary Claire Castro said that Duterte’s remarks are “absolutely preposterous.”

“Ang Pangulong Marcos Jr. hindi po siya nagsasagawa ng imbestigasyon ala-'tokhang' way. Nirerespeto ng Pangulo ang due process, nirerespeto ng Pangulo ang human rights so kaya po dumadaan ang lahat sa proseso,” Castro said.

The Vice President earlier questioned the pace of the investigation, suggesting that the matter could be wrapped up quickly under decisive leadership.

"Kung seryoso lang talaga ang Presidente, tapos na 'yan isang araw lang, matuturo niya lahat ng may kagagawan ng corruption sa budget. Pero, well, as you can see, para ngang nanonood tayo ng zarzuela,” she said in an interview at The Netherlands.

Castro, meanwhile, took a swipe at Duterte, pointing out that the previous administration under her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, had itself admitted that ‘ghost projects’ were rampant in the DPWH.

“Kung isang araw lang ito dapat imbestigahan, sana po ito ay na-suggest [ni VP Sara] noon sa kanyang ama dahil mismong ang dating pangulong [Rodrigo] Duterte noon ay umamin na rampant ang ghost projects noon. This is November 2020 inilabas,” Castro asked.

“Pero may nasibak ba secretary ng DPWH sa panahon niya?,” she questioned.

The Palace maintained that unlike swift, extrajudicial-style actions, the Marcos administration will uphold "due process" in addressing alleged anomalies in government projects, especially in flood control.

“Ang pag-iimbestigang ito ay para sa taumbayan hindi para sa pamumulitika,” Castro stressed.