Malacañang denies Sara Duterte’s claim of Palace smear drive

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Tuesday denied Vice President Sara Duterte’s remark that the Marcos administration was behind the allegations against her.

Palace press officer Claire Castro said the vice president should instead answer the accusations and present evidence in her defense.

Castro noted that Duterte appeared to be blaming President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. because she could no longer answer the accusations.

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“Maybe that is what happens when you can no longer find a defense – you simply point fingers at somebody else,” Castro told reporters in Pasay City.

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Asked directly whether Malacañang was behind accusations meant to tarnish Duterte’s reputation, Castro answered: “There is nothing left to destroy as far as VP Sara is concerned. That is already on her.”

Castro said Duterte should address allegations involving funds supposedly received by her and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, rather than blame Marcos.

She maintained that the president did not benefit from any of the money being attributed to the couple.

“Whatever stain comes from those funds or properties that supposedly enriched them, they should not pin it on the president because the president did not benefit, even a centavo, from the money they allegedly received,” Castro said.

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The press officer was reacting to Duterte, who earlier on Tuesday accused Marcos and Malacañang of being behind efforts to discredit her.

“Who is behind the attacks against me? The administration. The Palace. BBM,” Duterte had said at a separate briefing on Tuesday.

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The exchange came as Duterte faced an impeachment trial before the Senate, where financial transactions involving her and Carpio had come under scrutiny.

Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura testified on Monday that a summary of council reports involving Duterte and Carpio showed 666 covered transactions and 55 suspicious transactions totaling P4.4 billion.

Buenaventura also testified on transactions involving Cale88 Foods Corp., a company partly owned by Carpio.

This includes P319.326 million in remittances from mainland China and Hong Kong.

The testimony did not establish that the money came from the Chinese government.

Castro said the senator-judges hearing Duterte’s impeachment case must evaluate the evidence presented before the court.

“As of now, we can’t make any judgment. It’s up to the senator-judges how to evaluate the pieces of evidence shown and submitted during the impeachment trial,” she said.

Still, Castro challenged Duterte to present evidence addressing the accusations against her, including questions over her use of confidential funds.

“She appears to know how to explain herself. If she has evidence, she should show it,” she repeated.

The Palace official questioned why Duterte had presented documentary annexes to support some of her recent claims but the vice president had not done the same to address questions surrounding her confidential funds and other financial allegations.

She also argued that Duterte could have answered the accusations against her earlier if she had evidence clearing her.

“Maybe if she had explained the accusations against her, we would not have reached the impeachment court,” Castro said.

The press officer also rejected attempts to link Marcos to the allegations against Duterte, saying the president did not benefit from the money supposedly received by Duterte and Carpio.

Castro said Marcos could not “sell the country to foreigners.”

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“This is a reprehensible act. We should not emulate it,” she remarked. /apl