The Manila Times
MALACAÑANG on Wednesday maintained that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has no knowledge of the term-sharing deal he allegedly brokered with Vice President Sara Duterte. In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Marcos was “surprised” upon hearing of the matter from Duterte’s alleged bagman Ramil Madriaga in his testimony before the House Committee on Justice. “We will find out the truth about that. As for the discussion of Mr. Ramil Madriaga and former president Duterte, we have no personal knowledge and even the president has no personal knowledge about this,” she said in Filipino. Madriaga, in his sworn supplemental affidavit read before the House Committee on Justice on Tuesday, said the supposed agreement was relayed to him by former president Rodrigo Duterte ahead of the 2022 national elections. He claimed that Marcos was able to convince the then-outgoing leader to have Sara run as his vice president. They also agreed that by 2025, Marcos would voluntarily step down to give way to a Sara presidency. Together, they formed the UniTeam coalition and registered landslide victories in the presidential and vice presidential races, respectively. “He was surprised. The president is not like that,” Castro said. “The president campaigned to the people, is serving the people and promised to finish his term for the people,” she added. The official said that attempts to unseat Marcos and even threats to his life are “not new.” The supposed assassination attempt on the chief executive was also mentioned by Madriaga. He claimed that former president Rodrigo Duterte and several retired military generals planned to remove Marcos from power. Before this, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte asserted he wants “the head of Bongbong Marcos” for the people to “reclaim the country” from his supposed failed leadership and failure to solve the country’s problems. “This is not new, the threat to the president’s life. This started with the vice president, we have also heard from Mayor Baste Duterte. The president does not need to issue an order to investigate this,” Castro said. In an expletive-filled online rampage in November 2023, the vice president threatened to have Marcos, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and then-House speaker Martin Romualdez assassinated should something bad happen to her. Castro said the National Bureau of Investigation is tasked to probe the alleged assassination plots on the chief executive. Room in hell Meanwhile, Sen. Imee Marcos on Wednesday said all those who want to believe in the lies of Madriaga against the Dutertes would have a “room in hell.” Madriaga claimed that he delivered cash to several people upon the orders of the vice president, who is a political ally of the senator. Marcos slammed Madriaga for lying about the alleged plot of the Dutertes to unseat her brother, President Marcos, if he fails to step down in 2025 to give way to Sara “as agreed upon.” “Who you Madriaga? You’re a liar, Madriaga. There’s a room in hell for you and all of those who want to listen and take advantage of your lies,” Marcos said in Filipino. “As a senator and sibling of Bongbong [Marcos], and all of those who know what really happened have the moral responsibility to correct the lies of Magriaga,” she said during a press briefing. Also on Wednesday, Malacañang played down a petition urging the Supreme Court to compel the president to release a medical bulletin and undergo a hair follicle test, saying there was no basis for such demands. Castro said the president has already shown his condition publicly, including through recent activities. “There is no need for the President to do that,” Castro said during a press conference. Castro cited a Supreme Court ruling stating that a president cannot be compelled to disclose medical records without a sufficient basis. “If your basis is purely rumors and imagination without any evidence, we believe the Supreme Court will not overturn such jurisprudence,” she added. Castro also hit back at former Palace spokesman Harry Roque, who challenged Marcos to release his medical records instead of jogging around for a few meters. “It is better to run a few meters than run from the law,” she said, referring to Roque’s fugitive status. The Palace official said the president’s recent public appearance, including jogging around the Malacañan Complex, was meant to counter false claims. “He just wants to show what his real health condition is,” she said. “Are we not transparent? You see the president personally.” Castro presented clips of quotes showing former president Rodrigo Duterte and his staff’s refusal to reveal the former chief executive’s medical records during his term. “I don’t think the people should worry about [the] lack of transparency because the president himself will say what his condition is,” she said. Castro also dismissed a petition seeking to compel Marcos to undergo a hair follicle drug test. “Who created the issue... they are the ones creating baseless issues,” she said, adding those making allegations must first prove their claims. “Unless they can prove that there is serious illness, then there’s no need,” she added. Castro said the Presidential Communications Office was set to file complaints before the Department of Justice later on Wednesday to charge individuals over the proliferation of fake news on social media about the president’s health. Castro said at least three individuals were tagged in the complaint.
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