MANILA, Philippines — Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said Vice President Sara Duterte's remark that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. could be "pro-China" was laughable.
She made the statement after Duterte challenged Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. to produce a list of officials accused of defending China, arguing that without specific names, even President Marcos could fall under public suspicion.
"I laughed," Castro told The Manila Times. "I don't know if you laughed. For me, what she said was funny."
Castro dismissed the vice president's assertion, noting that the president’s stance has always been to defend the national sovereignty particularly in the issue involving the West Philippine Sea.
