By MANILA, Philippines — Palace press officer Claire Castro on Thursday said the ongoing impasse in the Senate is not the fault of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. but rather a result of the alleged abuse of power aimed at protecting Vice President Sara Duterte and her allies.
“The effort to have Senator Bato dela Rosa released or helped to escape, with the assistance of Senator Robin Padilla, is not coming from the president; the two senators we mentioned are allies of the vice president,” the Palace official said.
“So, it is not true that this is about weakness in the administration’s leadership; rather, it is about the continued abuse of power for the benefit of their allies. Therefore, they should not get accustomed to smearing others just to make themselves appear as victims in our eyes,” she added.
