MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Monday clapped back at Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte to fire his “ghostwriters” to save himself from being “ill-advised” and avoid issuing statements that could embarrass him.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro made the pronouncement in response to Duterte’s challenge to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to outline his administration’s accomplishments tangibly felt by the public in his upcoming State of the Nation Address (Sona).
“If you are going to talk to Congressman Pulong, I hope you can ask him if he is the one who is crafting his message? Does he have a ghostwriter or does he have a PR man? Because if he is using a ghostwriter, I will echo what the president said. Maybe, it would be better if he will fire his ghostwriters or PR man,” Castro said in Filipino in a press conference, implying that Duterte is out of touch with reality.
“Because the news and statements being released by Congressman Pulong are ill-advised. Or maybe, they really just want to sow intrigue,” she added.
The Palace Press Officer further stated that Marcos does not need to wait until he delivers his address before both chambers of Congress to make known the government’s programs and accomplishments.
“Why wait for the SONA? If he just watches the press briefings, he could see what the president is doing,” Castro said.
“It would be better if he watched press briefings, news, mainstream, state-owned media. Because it seems that he is not updated, does not read, does not watch the news. It is pitiful. He seems to be living in the dark, living in fake news, living in his own imagination,” she added.