Malacañang has strongly denied sentiments comparing former President Rodrigo Duterte to the late Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., stressing that such comparisons are baseless. Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro made this statement on Monday, March 24, after Vice President Sara Duterte reportedly likened her father’s situation to that of Aquino, who was assassinated upon his return to Manila from exile.
“Wala pong katotohanan ‘yan (There is no truth to that),” Castro said during a press briefing. She questioned where the supposed threats against the former president were coming from, noting that no concrete evidence had been presented.
“Saan kukuha yung mga threats? As a matter of fact, hanggang ngayon yung sinasabing threats kay VP Sara hindi pa rin po naipapakita sa NBI at saka sa PNP (Where are these threats coming from? Even the so-called threats against Vice President Sara Duterte haven’t been presented to the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police yet),” she explained.
No Similarities Between Duterte and Aquino
Castro emphasized that comparing Duterte to Aquino was unreasonable because they were linked to vastly different issues.
“Napakalayo pong ipakumpara ang sarili o ikumpara ang dating pangulong Duterte kay Ninoy Aquino na hindi nagkaroon ng anumang record ng mass murder or crimes against humanity (It is far too much to compare former President Duterte to Ninoy Aquino, who never had any record of mass murder or crimes against humanity),” Castro said.
She also recalled that Duterte had previously compared himself to Adolf Hitler.
“Meron po siyang sinabi mismo (He said it himself), and I quote, ‘Hitler massacred 3 million—’ actually, it’s supposed to be 6 million Jews. ‘Now there is 3 million, what is it? 3 million drug addicts in the Philippines? There are. I’d be happy to slaughter them. At least if Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have me,’” she recalled.
Duterte Did Not Restore Marcos’ Dignity
Castro also addressed social media claims suggesting that Duterte restored the Marcos family’s dignity, but the current administration repaid him by surrendering him to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“Ang nagpabalik po kay Pangulong Marcos ay ang taong bayan po. Hindi po iisang tao (President Marcos’ comeback was the will of the people, not of one person),” she said.
She further pointed out Duterte’s criticisms of Marcos Jr., noting that Duterte had once called him a weak leader.
“Papaano niya masasabi na inangat niya ang dignidad ni Pangulong Marcos kung siya mismo dati ang nagbababa rito (How can they say that former President Duterte raised President Marcos’ dignity when he was the one who pulled him down)?” she asked.
Castro reiterated that any claims linking Duterte to the plight of Ninoy Aquino were unfounded.