MALACAÑANG on Monday backed the statement of House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos regarding the alleged political concessions demanded by the Duterte administration in exchange for an endorsement for his father, then presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr., for the UniTeam ticket in the 2022 national elections.
In an interview, Marcos said there was one individual, an incumbent official, who told Duterte to support Marcos Jr. on one condition: they would choose who would be the executive secretary, speaker of the House of Representatives, and more.
During a press briefing, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself addressed the matter, expressing full confidence in his son’s integrity.
"Actually, the president himself mentioned this earlier. He just told me that he has raised his kids well and his son, Sandro, will not lie," she said.
When asked if the Palace could identify the individuals who made the demand, Castro said that since the young Marcos chose not to name names publicly, any attempt to dismiss his claims would be baseless.
Castro pointed out that the lawmaker's accounts were grounded on firsthand observation of the events.
She emphasized that certain demands made by political factions could not be accommodated because they clashed with the public interest.
"You will see that there are demands that were not approved by the president because [they] will not bode well for the public, because [they] will not be good for the first order of the people, the interest of the people. That's why we say there is a power struggle because there are groups who want to stay in position and hold and control the president,” Castro said.
