Palace defends Marcos watching drug incineration: ‘Not just for photo op’

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro shows picture of former President Rodrigo Duterte watching the burning of seized illegal drugs in 2020. (Screenshot from RTVM)

MANILA, Philippines — A Palace official rebutted Vice President Sara Duterte’s criticism of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s “photo op” at a drug incineration facility by showing a picture of the vice president’s father doing the same thing.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, during a press briefing on Thursday, showed reporters a photo of former President Rodrigo Duterte witnessing the burning of illegal drugs at a building in 2020.

Castro was connecting this image to Vice President Sara Duterte’s remarks that it was not the president’s job to have photo ops with seized illegal substances.

READ: Marcos leads destruction of P9.48-B drugs in Tarlac

The vice president was specifically referring to Marcos’ leading the destruction of over P9.48 billion worth of illegal drugs at a waste management complex in Capas, Tarlac on Wednesday.

Castro believes it was just right for the public to know about their leader’s initiatives against dangerous drugs.

“The president woke up early yesterday, went to Tarlac, worked, ordered, did not go on a vacation, and supervised the destruction of illegal drugs,” she said.

“The president wants to curb drugs, illegal drugs, in our country, and the president’s work should be felt by the people,” the press official noted.

“This is not just a photo op. It serves as a warning to criminals, and it also serves as an inspiration to the people who want to curb illegal drugs,” she pointed out.

Castro then proceeded to show a printed news article bearing a photo of former President Duterte during a drug incineration activity in 2020.

“So, maybe the vice president forgot this,” she said, holding up the photo.

“Work should not be hidden. It should be visible to the people. The president should report to the people,” she told reporters.

This was not the first time that Castro hit Vice President Duterte by reminding her of the previous issues about her father.

At a briefing on Monday, the Palace official was asked to respond to Vice President Duterte’s remarks questioning where and how the Marcos administration spent the P16-trillion national debt.

READ: Palace claps back at Sara Duterte over recent tirades

Castro responded by reminding her of the trillions of pesos in debt incurred during the administration of the former president.

“We have a saying: The person who does not know how to look back to where one comes from… will not really know the truth,” she said.

She clarified that the P16 trillion Duterte referred to is the total debt of the Philippine government—much of which had accumulated even before Marcos took office.