Palace Press Officer Claire Castro on Friday defended her response to Vice President Sara Duterte’s criticism, saying it is part of her mandate to counter what she described as “baseless accusations” against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the administration.

Castro issued the statement after Duterte urged her to be professional for dismissing as “baseless, pointless, and useless” the Vice President’s claim that the International Criminal Court (ICC) is the President’s lapdog.

“Ako, bilang Palace Press Officer, ay tumutugon sa aking mandato: ipamahagi at ipaalam ang mga proyekto at programa ng Pangulo at ng administrasyon, at sugpuin ang mga maling impormasyon (As Palace Press Officer, my mandate is to disseminate and inform about the projects and programs of the President and the administration, and to suppress false information),” Castro said in a video message.

“Sumasagot lamang tayo sa walang basehang akusasyon sa Pangulo at sa administrasyon na may bitbit na ebidensya. Kapag hindi niya nasasagot ang aking mga nasasabi, magsisimula na siyang mamersonal at manira nang walang basehan. Hindi iyan professional (We only respond to baseless accusations against the President and the administration with evidence. The moment she cannot respond, she resorts to personal attacks. That’s not professional),” she added.

Castro also said professionalism requires a leader to remain in the country during times of calamity, obey the law and face accusations with evidence.

“Ang isang lider na professional ay nananatili sa bansa upang mamuno, lalong-lalo na sa oras ng kalamidad, sumusunod sa batas at hindi gumagamit ng dahas, at humaharap sa mga akusasyon gamit ang malinaw na ebidensya sa halip na pag-iwas o paninira sa administrasyon; tumutulong sa pag-unlad at hindi nagiging dahilan ng pagbagsak ng pamahalaan (A leader who is professional stays in the country to lead, especially in times of calamity, follows the law and does not use violence, confronts accusations with clear evidence instead of avoiding or damaging the administration, contributes to development and does not cause the collapse of the government),” she said.

“Kung susuriin ang mga pamantayang ito, malaki ang kakulangan ng Bise Presidente sa pagpapakita ng tunay na propesyonalismo at pananagutan sa publiko (If these criteria are examined, the Vice President is lacking in demonstrating true professionalism and accountability to the public),” she added.

Last month, Duterte described the ICC as a lapdog of Marcos and former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, claiming that the case against her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, was politically motivated. (PNA)