Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro slammed Senator Imee Marcos’ remarks that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Marcos are using illegal drugs, branding it a “desperate move.”
In a video statement on Monday, November 18, Castro reiterated that the president already tested negative for drug use at St. Luke’s Medical Center in 2021.
“What is the reason behind the desperate move of Sen. Imee Marcos against her own brother and the First Lady? To malign them. It is baseless,” she said.
Senator Imee Marcos’ remarks during the second day of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) rally, where she alleged that her brother, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., previously struggled with substance abuse.
“Mas lumala ang pagkalulong… dahil parehas pala silang mag-asawa,” the senator said.
(The addiction worsened… because they were the same.)
Castro also suggested that Senator Marcos’s true motive may be to protect allies currently under investigation for alleged corruption in flood control projects, questioning what she described as the senator’s selective accusations.
“Bakit siya masyadong concerned ngayon about diumanong paggamit ng drug test samantala ang dating Pangulong Duterte umaming nagma-marijuana at nag-fentanyl. Hindi niya cinall-out,” she added.
(Why is she so concerned now about the alleged use of drug tests, while former president Duterte admitted to using marijuana and fentanyl. She didn’t call out.)
The undersecretary further called Imee to be patriotic, noting that she should “condemn the corrupt and not side with them.”
“Do not destroy your brother. This is not the issue now. Since you cannot find a corruption issue involving the President, you are diverting the issue. What a shame, Senator Imee, what a shame,” she added.
