By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Amid ongoing disaster response efforts on the heels of recent earthquakes that struck Cebu on Sept. 30 and Davao Oriental on Oct. 10, the Palace reaffirmed President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s continuing work as the country’s top government official in spite of the politicking and political noise surrounding him.
At the Malacañang press briefing on Monday, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro emphasized that Marcos is “too busy” to deal with addressing unimportant issues as he works on bolstering disaster response to the quake-affected provinces in Visayas and Mindanao.
Castro said when asked about the President’s stance on alleged upcoming protests against corruption, “Kung ang kanilang pagpoprotesta ay naaayon sa batas, hindi naman po iyan pipigilan ng Pangulo. Kung hindi po ito naaayon sa batas at kayo po ay lumalabag na, dapat po siguro kayong kasuhan.”
She added further, “Pero sana, mas maging abala rin po ang mga kababayan natin na tugunan din po ang pangangailangan ng iba pa po nating mga kababayan na nasalanta. At mas mabuti po na magkaisa tayo at magtulungan upang umangat ang bansa.”
The Palace mouthpiece, meanwhile, declined to directly address the recent seditious remarks made by Cavite 4th District Representative Francisco “Kiko” Barzaga, instead calling on the citizenry to unite, especially in these times when the country is dealing with the aftermath of successive natural disasters.
Castro, moreover, dismissed possible safety concerns following the Chief Executive’s visit to Davao Oriental to assess quake damages and look after the welfare of the displaced residents, especially in the towns of Manay and Tarragona, which were the hardest-hit areas by the doublet earthquake that shook the province on Oct. 10.
She warned against politicking, “Hindi po matatakot ang Pangulo na siya ay pumunta sa Davao dahil ang mga [Davaoeño] ay kababayan natin, at sila po ngayon ay nangangailangan ng tulong. So, huwag gawing pamumulitika ito para takutin ang Presidente.”
“Hindi po matatakot ang ating Presidente [na] pumunta sa anumang rehiyon ng bansa natin dahil siya po ang Presidente, at siya po ay tutulong sa lahat ng nangangailangan na mga kababayan natin.”
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