Malacañang shrugged off calls for President Marcos to resign amid allegations of corruption linked to ongoing flood control anomalies, stressing that a change in leadership could halt the investigations.

In a statement on Sunday, Nov. 16, Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro rebuked the warning of the United People’s Initiative (UPI) to Marcos to resign if the allegations are not addressed, saying those who are asking the President to step down are "individuals and supporters affected by this investigation."

"Ang mga nag nanais na siya ay mawala sa pwesto ay mga tao at mga supporters na tinatamaan ng pag iimbestiga na ito (Those who want him removed from office are individuals and supporters affected by this investigation)," Castro said in a statement when sought for a reaction on UPI's calls.

The Palace official emphasized that evidence is now coming out, thus, she urged the public to not allow it to be obscured again by the “black team.” She warned that a change in leadership could actually hamper the investigation, which the President initiated.

"Naglalabasan na ang mga ebidensya kaya huwag natin hayaang padilimin itong muli ng mga team itim na naghahasik ng kadiliman sa gobyerno  at siyang  nagnanais na ipatigil ang pagpapanagot sa mga sangkot (Those who want him removed from office are individuals and supporters affected by this investigation. Evidence is now coming out, so let us not allow it to be obscured again by the black teams spreading darkness within the government and seeking to halt the accountability of those involved)," Castro said.

"Pag naiba ang liderato, maaaring hindi na ituloy ang mga pag iimbestiga na ito at makalaya ang mga kurakot (If the leadership changes, these investigations may no longer continue, and the corrupt may go free)," Castro added.

The UPI urged Marcos to take immediate action to restore public trust and resolve the allegations against him promptly and transparently, adding that if he fails to do so, the President should resign.

Castro responded to this, stressing that the President had long been working to "clean up the mess left behind by the previous administration."

She also pointed out that it was Marcos who exposed the multi-billion-peso flood control irregularities and ordered the investigation through the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, which he formed in September.

"Matagal na pong nagtatrabaho si Pangulong Marcos, Jr.  para maiayos at malinis ang mga kalat na iniwan ng nakaraan (President Marcos Jr. has long been working to fix and clean up the mess left behind by the previous administration)," Castro said.

"Huwag nating kalimutan na si Pangulomg Marcos Jr. , ang nagpasimula ng malalimang pag-iimbestiga na ito para makita ng taumbayan na ang Pangulo ay kaisa nila sa pagsugpo ng korapsyon (Let us not forget that it was President Marcos Jr. who initiated this in-depth investigation so that the public can see that the President stands with them in combating corruption)," the Palace official added.

UPI's call came after resigned lawmaker Zaldy Co claimed through a two-part video that the President ordered the insertion of P100-billion in infrastructure projects in the 2025 budget.

While Co surfaced on social media in the past days to supposedly expose the President's alleged involvement in the massive flood control corruption, the resigned lawmaker still failed to show sufficient evidence to his claims, a civic leader said.

Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD) chairman emeritus Jose Antonio Goitia said Co's second video was "crafted to provoke reaction," reminding the public that claims of such magnitude "cannot rely on videos recorded abroad."

"It was dramatic, emotional, and filled with accusations meant to suggest misconduct at the highest levels of leadership," Goitia said. "Claims of this magnitude cannot rely on videos recorded abroad. They must be backed by real, verifiable evidence."

The civic leader emphasized that the pictures of bags shown by Co in his recent video do not prove anything—no verification of where they were taken, when they were taken, who handled them, or what they contained.

It did not even had a proof if it was really delivered to the President or to the Malacañang, Goitia said.

"You cannot expect anyone to accept that based on words alone. There must be documents, records, or any form of proof. Without that, it remains just a story," he said.

Goitia also pointed out inconsistencies in Co's statement, which, he said, was a sign that the narrative has holes.

The chairman emeritus of four civic-oriented groups, including ABKD, reiterated that if Co’s allegations were truly grounded in truth, he should present them here at home, under oath, before institutions empowered to test their validity — not through videos filmed overseas, far from cross-examination.