Malacañang said that there is no security threat against President Marcos, despite his continued absence from the public eye over the past four days.

In a press briefing, Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro explained that the President has only been tied up with private meetings in the Palace, and that he will resume public engagements in the coming days.

“Busy po ang Pangulo sa mga private meetings sa Palasyo at sa susunod hanggang Sabado ay marami po siyang gagawin pong paglabas at magkakaroon po siya ng mga events (The President has been busy with private meetings in the Palace and from now until Saturday he has many events scheduled),” she said on Wednesday, Sept. 24.

The Palace official, however, said details of the President’s private meetings cannot be disclosed, but assured the media that advisories will be issued once the engagements are open for coverage.

“Hindi ko po maibibigay kung ano ang napag-usapan sa isang pribadong pag-meeting. Pero ang Pangulo ay busy po ngayon hanggang sa Sabado (I cannot disclose what was discussed in private meetings. But the President will be busy until Saturday),” she said.

Marcos was last seen in public on Saturday, Sept. 20, when he visited Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Manila to check the implementation of the government’s Zero Balance Billing program. He also led the launch of the student Beep cards at LRT-2’s Legarda Station.

Castro stressed that the President’s absence from public engagements did not stem from security concerns, especially following the violence that ensued in Mendiola during the Sept. 21 anti-corruption rallies.

“Wala pong nararamdaman sa kasalukuyan na threat (There is no existing threat being felt at the moment),” she said.

The Palace official noted that the only reference to a past threat was made earlier by Vice President Sara Duterte, who said in an online conference that she had already contracted a person to go after the President, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House speaker Martin Romualdez should she be assassinated.

“Sa ngayon, wala direct threat na nakikita at nararamdaman ang Pangulo at ang gobyerno (As of now there is no direct threat seen or felt by the President and the government),” she said.