MANILA — Malacañang on Monday denied allegations that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. had a hand in the filing of plunder and graft complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, stressing that the complainants who brought the cases before the Office of the Ombudsman are not political allies of the President but among his known critics.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the accusations linking Marcos to the complaints are baseless and meant to deflect attention from the substance of the allegations against the Vice President.
“The complainants are not part of the President’s political allies, instead they are, in fact, his critics. So, how could he casually tell them to file plunder and graft charges against VP Sara,” Castro said.
Castro issued the statement in response to claims by lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, deputy spokesperson of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP), who alleged that the Marcos administration orchestrated the filing of the cases.
Topacio earlier described the complaints as a “political stunt,” claiming they were part of a move by a “panic-stricken” administration to prevent Duterte-Carpio from pursuing a presidential bid.
The Palace spokesperson rejected the accusation and took aim at what she described as efforts to politicize the issue by shifting blame to the President.
She said the cases against the Vice President are anchored on alleged misuse of public funds and should be addressed on their merits, not framed as political maneuvering.
“It is clear that these obstructionists operate against President Marcos Jr. They will always fabricate stories to divert attention away from the corruption allegations against VP Sara,” Castro said.
“Are they blind, or are they simply diehard Duterte supporters? They should have checked who the complainants are in this instance,” she added./PN
