Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro (Courtesy: PCO)

Malacañang said Wednesday that public service should prioritize the welfare of Filipinos over political affiliation or personal enrichment, as it responded to Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and his appeal for support from the Marcos administration.

Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. remains committed to fairness and the rule of law regardless of political color.

“Kaya kahit ano pa ang kulay ng isang tao, dapat na manatiling interes ng taumbayan ang unahin at hindi ang pansariling pagpapayaman,” Castro said in a message to Palace reporters.

(So, whatever a person’s political color may be, the interest of the people should remain the priority and not personal enrichment.)

Castro also stressed that the administration would continue to provide assistance permitted under the law and would not engage in harassment.

“Ang nais lang natin ipabatid kay Sen. Bato at sa lahat na ang administrasyon ni Pangulong Marcos, Jr. ay patas, sumusunod sa batas at hindi karasahan ang pinapairal,” she said.

(What we only want to convey to Sen. Bato and to everyone is that the administration of President Marcos, Jr. is fair, follows the law, and does not implement cruelty.)

“Ang lahat ng tulong na maipapaabot sa ating kababayan nang naaayon sa batas ay hindi ipagkakait (All assistance that can be extended to our countrymen in accordance with the law will not be withheld),” she added.

The statement came after dela Rosa, a close ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte, said Tuesday that he expected support from the government, if the International Criminal Court moves against him over allegations linked to Duterte’s anti-drug campaign.

Dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police chief who enforced ‘Oplan Tokhang’ during the Duterte administration’s brutal drug war, is named among co-perpetrators of the erstwhile strongman.

The ICC has been investigating alleged crimes against humanity tied to Duterte’s war on drugs.

Although the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019, the tribunal has said it retains jurisdiction over crimes allegedly committed while the country was still a member. — Charles Dantes