Escudero: PCO officials should be wary of their statements
Senate President Francis Escudero
MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Francis Escudero on Monday said officials of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) should be wary of what they say publicly, noting that they do not speak on behalf of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
In a presser, Escudero addressed newly appointed PCO Undersecretary Claire Castro’s seeming strong remarks about various topics, noting that the President does not have a spokesperson at present.
“Everyone at that office serves at the pleasure of the President. But I don’t think she’s the spokesperson of the President. If I remember correctly, the President said he would not have a spokesperson and that has [been] maintained,” Escudero told reporters.
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Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Atty. Claire Castro during a press briefing with the Malacañang Press Corps on March 3, 2025. | PHOTO: Screengrab from RTVM
The Senate chief also said this should remind PCO officials that the President still speaks on behalf of himself.
Article continues after this advertisement“Maybe that’s what PCO officials need to remember; the President still speaks on behalf of himself,” Escudero said in Filipino.
“It’s just saddening that they are standing in a rostrum with a Malacañang marking so whatever they say, it would always seem as if it’s from the President,” he added.
