Malacañang pushed back on Tuesday against criticisms comparing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to Vice President Sara Duterte in the use of confidential funds, calling such arguments “misguided.”
In a press briefing, Palace Press Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said it is unfair to equate the two officials’ handling of public money, especially amid allegations that the Office of the Vice President spent P125 million in just 11 days during Duterte’s concurrent post as Education Secretary.
“First of all, it seems that our President did not spend P125 million in just 11 days,” Castro pointed out, emphasizing the need for perspective in the debate.
Castro underscored that the Office of the President has not been flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA) with any Notice of Disallowance and has not faced questions about the legitimacy of its documents.
This came after Duterte allies, including the Duterte Youth party-list, floated the idea of an impeachment complaint against Marcos, claiming he controls the largest share of confidential funds in the national budget. Castro responded by stressing that impeachment is “completely within the authority of the House of Representatives,” and the President plays no part in the process.
Castro also cited controversies involving the Vice President’s office, including an alleged request to the military for certifications tied to a youth summit expenditure. The Armed Forces of the Philippines has since denied issuing such a certification.
On questions about using aliases in disbursing confidential and intelligence funds, Castro said existing accounting rules must still apply. “Even if aliases are used, the actual documents must be known to the Special Disbursing Officer (SDO),” she said, referring to guidelines under Joint Memorandum Circular 2015-01.
Regarding Duterte’s claim that political tensions like her possible impeachment should not be blamed for falling investor confidence, Castro gave a sharp retort: “She can frame her own narrative. But from what we can see, she has no intention of helping the President with any issue concerning the country. That is unfortunate.”
