Malacañang has strongly refuted allegations that the legal actions taken against several senators are politically motivated or tied to the recent leadership shakeup in the Senate.
Speaking during an ambush interview on Monday, June 1, Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro clarified that the ongoing inquiries involving Senator Jinggoy Estrada and other lawmakers began well before the creation of the chamber’s new majority bloc.
“Sa ating pagkakaalam, last year pa po nagkakaroon ng imbestigasyon at ang pangalan niya ay nababanggit hindi lang sa pag-iimbestiga sa Senador kundi pati sa House of Representatives,” she said.
Castro noted that Estrada’s name had previously surfaced in separate probes led by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) and was featured in the initial findings compiled by Senator Panfilo Lacson regarding the flood control project anomaly.
“Kaya hindi po masasabi na ito ay may patungkol sa pag-form ng majority na binubuo ng 13,” she said.
The Palace official also turned the tables on legislators accusing the administration of using the justice system as a political weapon.
“Is it not the other way around?” Castro asked.
“Dahil ngayon ang bumubuo halos na majority sila yung mayroong issue,” she added.
According to Castro, the controversies surrounding the lawmakers in question already existed before Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano assumed his post, meaning they were not sparked by recent internal shifts in the Senate.
“So hindi ba kabaliktaran yung sinasabi baka sila yung namumulitika at hindi ang Ehekutibo?” she said.
Castro maintained that these cases are moving forward through the appropriate legal channels and did not originate from the Office of the President.
“Tandaan po natin, ang Office of the Ombudsman ay hindi po hawak ng Pangulo,” Castro said.
“Independent constitutional body po ito,” she added.
She further noted that the Ombudsman conducted its review autonomously, determined there was sufficient ground for charges, and subsequently forwarded the cases to the Sandiganbayan.
Castro concluded by reiteration that the judiciary functions as an independent branch of government and that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. does not meddle with court proceedings or the mandates of constitutional agencies.