Palace brushes off Sara Duterte’s poll fraud claim

(That’s just their wish. Dreaming is free, after all.)

This was the response of Palace Press Officer Claire Castro to Vice President Sara Duterte’s call for Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP–Laban) bets to question the results of the 2025 senatorial elections, saying that fraud had been committed.

Castro brushed off Duterte’s allegations, emphasizing that the results of the May 12 polls must be respected.

READ: Sara Duterte cries poll fraud, claims 3 more PDP Senate bets ‘won’

 “Ang pangarap na ‘yun, sa ngayon, ay hindi mangyayari,” she said at a Palace briefing.

(That dream, for now, is not going to happen.)

“Ang pangarap sana huwag gawing reyalidad, baka maraming maniwala,” Castro added.

(That dream should hopefully not be turned into reality—people might believe it.)

Asked whether the Marcos administration is worried that such a statement from the second-highest official in the country could stir doubts among the public, Castro said that this could be precisely what Duterte wants to happen.

“‘Yan naman ang nakikita nating gusto nilang gawing naratibo, sirain pati ang institusyon, ang kredibilidad ng eleksyon pati na ang Comelec. ‘Yan ang talagang ninanais nila. Hindi naman siguro sila nagsasabi ng ano mang positibo pag dating sa gobyerno o sa ginagawa ng pamahalaan,” she said.

(What we’re seeing is that they want to push that narrative—to destroy the institution, the credibility of the elections, and even the Comelec itself. That’s their intention. They don’t seem to say anything positive when it comes to the government or what the administration is doing.)

“Sabi nga natin mas maganda sana magtrabaho kaysa magbakasyon,” Castro also said.

(As we always say, it would be better to work than to go on vacation.)

Duterte made remarks during an Independence Day celebration with Filipinos in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

She claimed that three more PDP–Laban Senate candidates won in the recent midterm elections.

“Tapos na naman ang kampanya. Totoo yun. Pero bakit nandito si Attorney [Jayvee] Hinlo, si Attorney [Jimmy] Bondoc, at si Doctor [Richard] Mata? Kasi para sa akin at alam kong totoo, nanalo sila sa eleksyon nung nakaraan,” she said.

(The campaign is over. That’s true. But why are Attorney Hinlo, Attorney Bondoc, and Dr. Mata here? Because, for me, and I know this to be true, they won the last elections.)

“Kausap ko IT (information technology) experts na nagsasabi hindi talaga pwede na totoo yung mga numero na lumabas,” the vice president added.

(I spoke to IT experts who said it was impossible that the numbers that came out are true.)

Days after the May 12 elections, the seven PDP-Laban who lost their Senate bids demanded a manual recount of votes and an investigation into alleged anomalies in the 2025 elections.

The only PDP-Laban candidates who won were incumbent senators Christopher “Bong” Go and Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, and party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, who placed first, third, and sixth, respectively.

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