Palace spokesperson Castro sheds light over circulating 2015 viral video
By Charles Dantes
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro on Thursday defended her actions in a resurfaced 2015 video, saying she would “do it again for justice” as she clarified the context behind the footage.
In a Palace briefing, Castro addressed allegations stemming from the viral clip, which she claimed was edited and misrepresented.
“Why did they release and splice this now? Maybe because they don’t want me to remain as a Palace spokesperson,” she said.
The video, she said, involved her legal defense of a client in a child custody dispute.
“If given a chance to do that again, I will,” said Castro, a lawyer.
“Maybe the video you saw was from 2015. You can see my face there—I looked younger because it was 2015,” she added.
Castro explained that the case involved a child left in the care of a driver while the mother, a flight stewardess, was away. The father, upon learning of the situation, took the child, leading to a dispute with the mother.
Castro said she arranged for both parents to meet at a coffee shop in Manila for mediation after the child underwent a psychological evaluation. However, the situation escalated when police officers—who were in civilian clothing—arrested her client without presenting a warrant or a formal complaint.
“I introduced myself as a lawyer and asked for the complaint or warrant of arrest, but they ignored me,” she said. “There was no crime being committed, and yet my client was taken.”
Castro claimed the video circulating online omits key details and was deliberately resurfaced to discredit her. She also criticized a 2015 news report on the incident, saying the coverage failed to present her side of the story.
“I was not even interviewed. The title alone sparked backlash,” she said.
Castro also addressed her brief detention, along with her husband and secretary, questioning why they were included if she was the only one involved.
“It wasn’t a scandal—it’s a fact,” Castro stated. “If you were my client and went through the same thing, I would do it again and again for justice,” she said.