Malacañang criticized former President Rodrigo Duterte's recent remark that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is "veering towards dictatorship," dismissing it as yet another "hoax."
In a statement on Sunday, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin emphasized that the Palace considers the remark as a "tall tale" from an individual known for fabricating lies and hoaxes.
"We treat the former president’s baseless and ridiculous statements in the same way that Filipinos are dismissive of them: a tall tale from a man prone to lying and to inventing hoaxes," Bersamin stated.
"This hoax is another budol emerging from a one-man fake-news factory," he added.
Speaking at an indignation rally in Cebu on Saturday, the former President alleged that President Marcos Jr. may not relinquish power in 2028 and could follow his father's example by imposing martial law to ensure no elections and extend his stay in power.
Bersamin stated that the administration will continue to uphold the Constitution, adhere to the rule of law, and respect the rights of the people, as demonstrated by their consistent actions.
"We will not backslide into the oppressive ways of the previous administration, when critics were jailed upon trumped-up charges and when kill orders were publicly issued with glee and obeyed blindly," Bersamin emphasized.
He further pointed out that the former president, who ignored people's rights and due process during his term, is now accusing the current government of doing the same.
In September 1972, former President Marcos Sr. issued Presidential Proclamation No. 1081, placing the Philippines under Martial Law in response to the alleged communist insurgency.
Meanwhile, former President Duterte and several police officials from his administration are under investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for potential crimes against humanity related to the war on drugs, during which extrajudicial killings were reportedly carried out.
