Palace: Marcos said Sandro 'will not lie' on Duterte camp's 2022 conditions

“Cong. Sandro will not lie.”

Palace Press Officer Usec. Claire Castro said this was the statement of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. when asked for his comment regarding the claims made by his son, House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos, that the camp of then-president Rodrigo Duterte had asked for conditions in exchange for its endorsement in the 2022 presidential elections.

In a radio interview over the weekend, the Ilocos Norte congressman said three persons committed to support Bongbong Marcos on the condition that they would be the ones to choose the next Executive Secretary, Senate President, and House Speaker, among others.

Castro said she spoke briefly with the President this morning regarding the matter.

“All he told me was he has raised his kids well. And his son, Cong. Sandro, will not lie," Castron said in a mix of English and Filipino.

"That’s the only message the President gave,” she added.

GMA News Online is getting the Duterte camp's comment regarding the issue and will publsh it as soon as it is available.

In an interview with DZMM over the weekend, Sandro Marcos recalled the Marcos camp asked for the support of Malacañang, specifically the endorsement of then-president Duterte, when his father's bid for the presidency was in its early stages.

Sandro Marcos said that three persons from the Duterte camp then met them at a meeting in Malacañang. He didn't name who they were but added that one of them is an incumbent government official.

The presidential son claimed that the three persons committed to support Bongbong Marcos on the condition that they would be the ones to choose the next Executive Secretary, Senate President, and House Speaker, among others.

Sandro Marcos also said he saw the fallout of the UniTeam – the alliance between Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte during the 2022 elections – coming due to “power struggle.”

Castro said she believed the congressman because he personally witnessed the conversation.

“At makikita niyo rin naman, kung inyong iko-connect sa lahat ng mga sinabi ng Bise Presidente, nakikita niyo kung ano ba ‘yung mga demands na maaaring hindi napagbigyan ng Pangulo dahil hindi ito makakaganda sa first, pondo ng bayan, interest ng bayan, kaya hindi napagbigayan siguro ang ibang mga kahilingan,” she said.

(And if you connect this to everything the Vice President has said, you can see the demands that the President likely did not grant—perhaps because doing so would not be good for the public funds and the interest of the nation.)

“Kaya sinasabi na may power struggle dahil may mag grupo na gustong manatili sa posisyon at hawakan at kontrolin ang Pangulo at hindi ‘yun pinayagan ni Pangulong Marcos Jr.,” she added.

(That’s why there is talk of a power struggle. There are groups that wanted to remain in power and keep the President under their control, but President Marcos Jr. did not allow that to happen.)

For the part of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Castro said that the alleged demands by the Duterte camp may have been be intended to control Marcos or remove him from power.

“Ang nakikita ng PCO dito, power struggle, kontrolin ang Pangulo, maybe the plan to remove the President like what happened before. That's the opinion of PCO, not the President’s,” Castro said.

(What the PCO sees here is a power struggle, an attempt to control the President, and perhaps a plan to oust the President, similar to what happened in the past. That is the PCO’s opinion, not the President’s.) –NB, GMA News