Palace on Marcos resignation call: Is VP Sara Duterte in the right state of mind? 

Malacañang on Friday questioned whether Vice President Sara Duterte was lucid when she called for President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s resignation.

In a "24 Oras" report from Darlene Cay on Friday, Castro is in India for.Marcos’ attendance at the 18th BRICS Summit. There, she responded to Duterte’s tirade against the President when she was in front of the Quezon City Hall of Justice for her arraignment.

“Was she in a lucid interval at the time? Nasa tama ba siyang huwisyo? Nasa tama ba siyang pag-iisip? Baka po ito dala ng sleepless nights and anxiety, kaya hindi na po siya nakakapag-isip nang maayos,” Castro told reporters.

(Was she in a lucid interval at the time? Was she of right judgement? Was she in the right state of mind? Maybe this is brought by sleepless nights and anxiety, so she is not thinking properly.)

“Bakit? Gusto ninyo? Gusto ni Bise Presidente na agad-agad umupo? Kita naman even before ang plano ninyo. So sa ating mga kababayan, alamin ninyo kung sino ang tunay na leader para sa bayan, at sino ang tunay na leader para sa kanyang sarili,” she added.

(Why? Would you want it? Do you want the Vice President to take the seat? Her plans were obvious even from before. For our citizens, you should know who the real leader for the nation is, and which leader is only for themselves.)

Reacting to Duterte’s claim that the arrest of former speaker Martin Romualdez was an act of drama, Castro said that the real drama was outside the Quezon City Hall of Justice. It was clear how Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla handled Romualdez’s situation without delay, the Palace official said.

Castro also thumbed down Duterte’s accusations of drug addiction against Marcos. Her own father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, admitted to using drugs, the press officer shot back.

“Inamin mismo ni dating Pangulong Duterte, pangulo na siya, na siya ay gumagamit ng marijuana. At inamin niya rin na ang paggamit niya ng fentanyl ay inabuso niya, dahil masarap daw yung pakiramdam. Cloud nine yung feeling. Noong umamin ba ang kanyang ama sa paggamit ng bawal na gamot, tinawag ba niya ang kanyang ama na adik? Bangag? So kung ano yung ginagawa ng inyong pamilya, huwag niyo ipahid kay Pangulong Marcos Jr.,” Castro said.

(The former president Duterte admitted it himself, when he was president, that he used marijuana, And he admitted to using fentanyl and abusing it because he felt good. The feeling was cloud nine. When her father admitted that, did she call her father an addict? Stupid? Whatever your family did, do not throw it at President Marcos Jr.)

The Palace is not silencing the Vice President, Castro added. She emphasized that Sara Duterte is being asked to speak up and address her case, as well as in the impeachment trial.

“Dito lang kayo lumalabas na matapang magsalita, laban sa Pangulo, pero tungkol sa inyong sariling kaso, o kaya sabihin natin sa Pax Silica, at pati yung pag-iipon ng tubig-ulan, ay wala kayong masabing tama,” Castro said.

(You are only tough now, when you are speaking against the President, but when it comes to your own case, or about Pax Silica, and the collection of rainwater, you cannot say anything right.)

Castro also turned Sara Duterte’s corruption accusation against her, saying that her father has also admitted to stealing from public coffers.

“Umamin siya na siya ay nagnakaw sa kaban ng bayan. Ang sabi niya, naubos na. Kung nagnakaw siya sa kaban ng bayan at inamin niya, kanino kaya napunta? Sino ang nakinabang?”

(He admitted to stealing from national coffers. He said it is gone. If he stole from the country's coffers and admitted it, where did it go? Who benefitted from it?)

Castro told Duterte to focus on working and solving the country's problems. —LDF, GMA News