By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet

In an exchange with members of the media at a press briefing this Wednesday, May 14, Palace Press Officer and Presidential Communications Office Usec. Claire Castro said that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. was satisfied with the results yielded by the 2025 midterm elections.

“Satisfied po ang Pangulo dahil nalaman po natin na ang iba pang mga naboto ay mayroong sariling dignidad, may sariling paniniwala at ang karamihan po doon ay para sa bayan at hindi para sa ibang bansa,” Castro said.

She also provided reassurance that the administration is still backed by support from the masses, which is reflected in recent surveys showcasing the President’s chart-topping performance ratings.

The Palace mouthpiece also said that President Marcos is open to working with candidates from other political parties which claimed victory along with six administration-backed senatoriables from the Alyansa roster.

“Iyan po ang ibinoto ng taumbayan, igagalang po natin. At kung ito po’y makakatulong sa administrasyon, uulitin po natin, kahit ano pa ang kulay po niyan, dapat isipin po ng mga bagong halal na sila po ay magtatrabaho para sa bansa, para sa taumbayan—hindi pang-personal na interes o interes ng kanilang mga kaibigan o kanilang mga sinusulong na tao,” Castro said.

“So, anuma’t anuman po ito, kapag po nalaman po nila na ang gagawing proyekto o programa ng Pangulo ay para sa taumbayan, umaasa po tayo na sila po ay makikiisa,” she added.

Distinction between legitimate opposition and “obstructionists”

Meanwhile, at the same press conference, Castro also divulged the differences between a legitimate opposition and the so-called “obstructionists”.

“Napakadali pong sagutin iyan. Unang-una, kapag sinabi nating lehitimong oppositionist, ang ipinaglalaban nila ay ang bansa, ang interes ng taumbayan, hindi ang personal na interes; obstructionists—walang gagawin kung hindi manira, walang makikitang maganda sa ginagawa ng gobyerno at ang sariling interes lamang ang gustong palaguin,” she explained.

The Palace mouthpiece likened the former as guardians of the country’s national interests as well as that of the masses, while associating the latter with evil influences that were focused on sowing the seeds of misinformation and driving a wedge instead of unifying the country’s populace.

Castro also said that President Marcos would not tolerate the behaviors of these “obstructionists”, citing the ramifications of the threats that they impose on national security and the safety of the nation’s cyberspace.

“Kung gagawa man sila ng fake news, kung ano-anumang mga balita o ano-anumang statement na maaaring makasira sa gobyerno na walang basehan, ito po ay ating tutugunan kaagad,” she declared.

iro