By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet

At the Palace press briefing held this Tuesday, July 8, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro issued new updates regarding some timely issues.

Castro tackled President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s stance on online gambling, followed by the government’s response to China’s imposed sanctions against former Senator Francis Tolentino for the lawmaker’s stance on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue.

In a previous press briefing, the Palace press briefer told reporters that she would seek a comment from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) regarding the ban against Tolentino but declared that the East Asian nation cannot silence the sentiment of Filipinos that favor the Philippines’ stand on the WPS debacle.

“The Department of Foreign Affairs summoned the Chinese Ambassador to convey the Philippines’ concern over China’s imposition of sanctions against former Senator Francis Tolentino,” the agency’s statement read.

“The DFA conveyed to the Chinese side that while the imposition of such sanctions falls within China’s legal prerogative, the imposition of punitive measures against democratically elected officials for their official acts is inconsistent with the norms of mutual respect and dialogue that underpin relations between two equal sovereign states,” it added, reaffirming its commitment to addressing differences through diplomacy and dialogue.

On the PrimeWater debacle

Meanwhile, when quizzed about former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary and incumbent Senator Mark Villar’s statement in response to the issues surrounding the water services provider PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp., Castro clarified that she is not entangling Villar into the issue.

“Ang pagkaka-describe lang natin ay mas dumami noong 2019 at noong ito’y na-attach nga sa DPWH, ‘yong [PrimeWater deals with] the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA),” the Palace press briefer clarified.

“Hindi tayo nagbibigay ng insinuation na [may involvement si] Sec. Mark Villar. Nagkataon kasi [na] siya ‘yong namumuno sa DPWH [during that time],” she added.

PrimeWater is a Filipino-owned water concessionaire by the Villar family’s business group, which operates in 161 cities and municipalities across the country through 1.7 million service connections. 

As of press time, it is under government scrutiny on the heels of consumer complaints over service interruptions and inconsistent supply in its service areas.

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