MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Saturday said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. would always respect the people’s right to freedom of expression and support any movement to fight corruption.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro issued the statement amid growing unrest and protests, particularly one set for Sept. 21, over the trillions of pesos allegedly pocketed by government officials and contractors from flood control projects throughout the years.
“First of all, the President will always respect the freedom of expression. So whatever sentiments our fellow citizens are feeling right now, the President respects them,” Castro said during a press conference.
“The President also supports the grievances of our people because this is a fight against corruption,” she added.
But Castro urged the public to be vigilant, warning them not to allow their legitimate grievances to be exploited by “destabilizers of the government.”
“We only pray that their sentiments would not be taken advantage of by people with ill intentions toward the government who aim to destabilize it,” she said.
