Palace distinguishes between ‘legit’ and ‘obstructionist’ opposition
Two days after the midterm elections, the message from the Palace addressed to the incoming 20th Congress draws a distinction between certain lawmakers— and also comes with a warning.
Malacañang is ready to work with members of the “legitimate opposition” who will advance public welfare, but will push back against “obstructionists” who will pursue selfish interests and spread fake news against the government.
This was how Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace press officer Claire Castro added to the post-election statement issued on Tuesday by President Marcos, where he appealed to the winning candidates to work together and move past the divisiveness of the campaign season.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, Castro said Mr. Marcos was optimistic that the victors, regardless of partisan allegiances, would place the Filipino people’s interest above their own.
“Whatever color they are, the President welcomes them so that our leaders will unite to address our problems and propose solutions that our people need,” she said.
Castro said the Marcos administration “expects the presence of legitimate oppositionists” in Congress.
Seeing ‘nothing good’
“But we will fight against obstructionists who will pretend to be oppositionists—obstructionists who will only fight for their selfish interests,” she said.
“I wouldn’t say there’s a thin line between the two. You can see the difference clearly. If they only fight for themselves and not for the country, then they are obstructionists,” Castro said when asked to elaborate.
Obstructionists, she said, are those who “do nothing but destroy and see nothing good in the government.”
“If they make up fake news or statements that can destroy the government without basis, then we will act on that promptly,” said the lawyer-vlogger.
President Marcos earlier called on the elected lawmakers and local government officials to “march forward, not to the past but to the future,” saying “governance is a shared responsibility.”
“To the newly elected, regardless of party or coalition, I extend my hand. Let us move forward together—with open minds and a common purpose,” he said.
Based on partial and unofficial tallies, only six of the 11 senatorial candidates endorsed by the President under the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas ticket are poised to win in the race for 12 seats in the Senate.
They are ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo, ex-Sen. Panfilo Lacson, ex-Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Sen. Pia Cayetano, Las Piñas City Rep. Camille Villar, and Sen. Lito Lapid.
None of them are from Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, the party chaired by the President and one of the five political blocs making up the Alyansa coalition.
Halfway through term
Despite Alyansa’s failure to secure a victory for all its 11 senatorial candidates, Castro said, “the President believes that many Filipinos still support his administration” halfway through his term.
“We should remember that the most recent survey showed that he still has high trust ratings,” she added.
The Palace media official also dismissed the remarks of lawyer Salvador Panelo, the former chief legal counsel of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte, who described the election results as a “thunderous repudiation” of the Marcos administration and its attempts to persecute the Duterte family.
“That’s the narrative they want to perpetuate. First of all, those who should be accountable before the law should be held accountable. We should not coddle the accused or those committed a crime through the act of voting,” she said.
“The people voted and made their will known. We should respect who our countrymen chose. This is not a reflection and has nothing to do with the Dutertes.”
‘Lame duck’?
She also brushed aside the statement of lawyer Harry Roque, a former Duterte spokesperson, who said the election results had made Mr. Marcos a lame duck President.
“If the President is a lame duck and the administration is unimportant, then he should come back home,” Castro said.
She was taking a jab at Roque’s refusal to return from abroad and face charges in the country over his alleged involvement in Pogos or Philippine offshore gaming operators, which thrived during the Duterte years but were banned by President Marcos last year.
