Malacañang brushed aside Vice President Sara Duterte’s claim that the Marcos administration is angling for Charter change and a cancelled 2028 election, saying on Sunday that no such effort exists and that she should instead confront the corruption allegations against her with evidence.
“You cannot simply talk about charter change when we do not see anything moving toward charter change,” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said in an interview with state-run PTV.
“Perhaps it would be better to ask the Vice President where she got such rumors,” she said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has flatly rejected talk of a no-election scenario in 2028 that would let him stay beyond his single six-year term. Constitutional amendments have also been set aside in recent months, with the Palace saying his attention is on the economy as global crises unfold. Marcos has generally kept his distance from Charter change, though he previously said he would back it under certain conditions.
Duterte raised the accusation while dismissing claims made by Rodulfo Gracioso Jr., a dismissed police officer who said he carried suitcases of cash to her on behalf of former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco. She called the allegations a “media stunt” intended to “breathe life into a faltering impeachment case.”
“The desperation of the administration to bring me down, push for Charter change (Cha-cha), prevent the 2028 elections, and cling to power is becoming increasingly diabolical,” she said.
Speaking to GMA News, Gracioso said he headed Velasco’s security detail from 2018 to 2022. On Velasco’s orders, he said, he made more than 20 deliveries to the Vice President totaling P2 billion. He claimed he also brought cash-laden suitcases to former President Rodrigo Duterte and to Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte.
Velasco and the Vice President have both denied the allegations, which are now under investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation.
Castro said the burden falls on Duterte to disprove the claims with her own evidence rather than blame the government.
“She cannot simply point her fingers at the administration just to evade the issues she is currently facing involving corruption,” Castro said.
“If she does fall, the administration will not be responsible for it. If she falls, it will be because of her own actions,” she said.
The Palace official said any finding against Duterte must rest on established facts, but that the allegations cannot be dismissed outright.
“If such information is coming to light, we cannot turn a blind eye to it. We cannot simply ignore it. It needs to be investigated, and if anything is proven, then it should [be acted upon],” Castro said.
