President Marcos or his administration should not be blamed for the current situation of former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque as the President was never involved in his deals with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO), Malacañang said.

Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro criticized Roque for his recent statement —“I will never forgive this administration for what they did to me and my family.”

Castro asserted that Roque has no proof to back his claims and he was just telling a made-up tale.

“Unang-una po mukhang isinisisi pa po niya ang naging kalagayan niya at ang kinahinatnan niya kay Pangulo at sa administrasyon. Unang-unang tanong: Ano po ba ang kaniyang pruweba? Kuwentong walang kuwenta, kuwentong barbero (First of all, it seems like he is blaming the President and the administration for his situation and what happened to him. But the first question is: What proof does he have? It’s a story with no substance, a made-up tale), ” Castro said in a Palace briefing when asked to make a comment on Roque's recent statements.

She stressed that the President was not with him when he made a deal with a corporation, which, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has operated a POGO facility in Porac, Pampanga.

The President also had nothing to do with all the testimonies Roque shared with the Quad Committee and the House of Representatives during the probe on POGOs, Castro added.

“Una po, hindi naman po niya yata kasama ang Pangulo nang siya ay nakipag-deal sa Whirlwind at sa Lucky South 99. Hindi rin po niya kasama ang Pangulo nang siya ay naglakad ng permit or license ng Lucky South 99. Hindi rin po yata niya kasama ang Pangulo nang ito ay magbukas ng isang joint account kasama si AR Dela Cerna (First, the President was not even with him when he made a deal with Whirlwind and Lucky South 99. The President was also not with him when he processed the permit or license for Lucky South 99. The President was not with him either when he opened a joint account with AR Dela Cerna),” Castro said.

“Hindi rin po niya kasama ang Pangulo nang siya mismo ang nagboluntaryo ng mga facts at mga dokumentong kanyang ikinuwento sa QuadComm, sa House of Representatives. Lahat pong ito ay boluntaryong galing sa kanya; lahat ng kuwento niya sa Quad Comm, sa House of Representatives ay galing sa kanya (The President was not beside him when he voluntarily disclosed facts and documents to the Quad Committee and the House of Representatives. All of that came from him voluntarily; all the stories he shared with the Quad Committee and the House of Representatives came from him),” Castro added.

“Lahat ng ito ay wala ang Pangulo sa kanyang tabi. So, paano niyang isisisi ito sa Pangulo at sa administrasyon (In all of this, the President was not by his side. So how can he blame the President and the administration)?,” Castro further said.

The Palace official also warned Roque and other “obstructionists” to “stop and instead be true Filipinos.”

Roque is facing a qualified human trafficking case and was issued an arrest warrant by the Regional Trial Court in Angeles, Pampanga.