Malacañang on Tuesday hit back at Vice President Sara Duterte’s camp over its call for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to resign, describing the demand as “definitely, absolutely delusional.”
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro made the statement in response to Duterte’s spokesperson, Atty. Paolo Panelo, who criticized Marcos for allegedly trivializing the vice president’s accusations of corruption and abuses in government.
Panelo said Marcos’ remarks, in which he attributed Duterte’s attacks to her personal anger toward him, showed that the President was “out of touch with reality” and “not fit for office.”
“The country does not need excuses. It needs his resignation,” Panelo said.
Castro, however, maintained that Marcos’ statement was referring to what the President perceived as Duterte’s personal anger toward him and not to alleged problems in government.
“Noong sinabi po niyang ‘what can I do, you cannot force anyone to love you,’ nagre-refer po ito sa personal anger ng Vice President na sa pananaw po ng Presidente ay siya yung target,” Castro said during a press conference.
“Hindi po ito patungkol sa diumano’y problema ng gobyerno,” she added.
Castro also rejected the demand for Marcos to resign, saying it had no legal basis.
“So definitely, the demand for the President to resign without any legal basis… is definitely, absolutely delusional,” she said.
Castro further defended Marcos’ qualifications to lead the country, saying ambition alone is not enough to govern.
“Hindi sapat ang ambisyon para mamuno. Kailangan ang kakayahan, sapat na kaalaman at kahandaan sa mga mabibigat na usapin ng bansa,” Castro said.
She cited strategic national concerns, including the West Philippine Sea and the Pax Silica initiative, as examples of issues requiring the President’s knowledge and preparedness.
Castro also pushed back against claims that Marcos is not doing enough as president.
“Madaling magbintang, madaling magsabi na walang nagagawa ang isang Pangulo dahil mismo ang nagsasabi nito ay walang nagiging trabaho kaya hindi nila nakikita kung gaano kabigat ang mga gawain ng Pangulo at kung paano magtrabaho ang Pangulo,” she said.
“So sa mga taong hindi nagtatrabaho, hindi nila nakikita ang taong tunay na nagtatrabaho,” Castro added.
Panelo’s remarks came after Marcos responded to Duterte’s recent attacks against him.
Duterte accused Marcos of being a “drug addict,” called him shameless and ungrateful to those who voted for him, and urged him to resign during a rally attended by her supporters.
Marcos, speaking to members of the media in India, said he had heard Duterte’s accusations but had no response to them.
“She’s very angry. I suppose with what’s happening to her. And I am the target of that anger or the main target for that anger,” Marcos said.
“What can I do? You cannot force anyone to love you,” he added.
Duterte is facing an impeachment trial in the Senate and a grave threats case before a Quezon City Regional Trial Court.
Marcos and Duterte ran together under the UniTeam alliance in the 2022 elections, winning the presidential and vice presidential races by wide margins before their political alliance later fractured.
