MANILA, Philippines — Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said Vice President Sara Duterte's remark suggesting that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. could be viewed as a "pro-China" suspect in the absence of an official list naming government personnel is laughable.
The statement comes after Duterte challenged Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. to produce a concrete 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 further dismissed the vice president's assertion, noting that the president’s stance has always been to defend the national sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea.
