Malacañang said Senator Imee Marcos' campaign ad, painting the country's current situation as "black," citing prevalence of hunger and crimes, is more suitable to describe the previous administration.

Citing statistics on poverty incidence and reports on crimes, Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro labeled the presidential sister's campaign ad together with Vice President Sara Duterte as fake news, stressing that hunger, crimes, and injustice are more prevalent during the previous administration.

She stressed that the Philippines under President Marcos is now "getting brighter."

"You just said it is recent. Ang akala ay 2022 campaign ads 'to dahil mas na-describe ang kapanahunan, ang nakaraang administrasyon doon sa nasabing campaign ads (I thought it was a 2022 campaign ad because it describes more of the time of the previous administration)," Castro said in a Palace briefing on Tuesday, April 15.

"Una-una, mayroon silang sinabi tungkol sa madilim—itim ngayon ang kulay ng bansa, sa gutom at krimen nagluluksa. So, pag sinabi natin na itim ngayon ang kulay, mas magde-describe siguro natin noong nakaraang administrasyon na sobrang itim at ngayon ay papaliwanag sa panahon ng kasalukuyang administrasyon. Hindi man ganoon pa kaputi pero patungo na doon (First of all they said something about—black is the color of the country because of hunger and crimes, it’s in mourning. So, when we say black, it best describes the past administration which was very black and now, the current administration is getting brighter. It may not be that white but we are getting there)," Castro added.

The Palace official cited a 2024 report, showing that the country's poverty rate fell to 15.5 percent in 2023 from 18.1 percent in 2021. She added that the country's debt grew to P7.2 trillion during the time of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Castro further countered the senatorial candidate's claim that the country is now suffering from hunger for justice, pointing out the killings during Duterte's war on drugs.

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) undersecretary also said that the improvement in terms of hunger, crime, and justice under Marcos signifies that he country's state is not black but going white.

"Papunta na po sa paputi. Konting kula na lang medyo maputi na. Hindi pa lang po, hindi perfectly white katulad ng aking sinabi pero doon po patungo ang kasalukuyang administrasyon (It's heading toward being white. Just a little more dye and it’ll be nearly white. It's not perfectly white yet, as I’ve said, but the current administration is moving in that direction)," Castro said.

Don't be fooled by campaign ads

The Palace press officer reminded voters to be discerning towards what politicians claim in their campaign ads.

"Maging mapanuri. Huwag pong magpaloko sa mga sinasabi sa iilang campaign ads. Alamin ang katotohanan, iwasan ang fake news. Dignidad mo, boto mo (Be discerning. Don't be deceived by what some campaigns say. Seek the truth, avoid fake news. Your dignity, your vote)," Castro said.

She also revealed that the President was not in favor of such negative campaigning, adding it should not be the narrative of the campaign.

"Of course, hindi po nais ng ating Pangulo na mga ganitong klaseng negatibo na pangangampanya, lalong lalo na po kung ito ay fake news. So noon pa naman po sinabi ng ating Pangulo na labanan natin ang mga fake news. Mas hindi maganda kung ito ay gagawing naratibo sa isang pangangampanya (the President is not in favor of this kind of negative campaigning, especially if it's fake news. The President has been telling us to fight fake news. It is not good if this is used as narrative in a campaign)," Castro said.

Senator Imee's candidacy got a boost when she was endorsed by the Vice President in a 30-second video released on Monday.

The senator was previously included in Marcos' senatorial slate—Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas. She officially withdrew from the alliance last month after missing several campaign rallies with the Alyansa. It also came after the arrest of Duterte.