Malacañang said allegations of supposed bribery linked to the administration may be an attempt to discredit the International Criminal Court (ICC), as it dismissed the claims against President Marcos as recycled lies.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said this after former congressman Mike Defensor claimed that a “batch 2” of former soldiers was set to testify on alleged bribery involving billions of pesos.

In a press briefing, Castro said the move might be aimed at discrediting the ICC following allegations that some of the money was used to bribe the High Court in the ongoing case against former president Rodrigo Duterte.

“Malamang, kung anuman ang motibo nila, malamang na maaaring i-discredit at tanggalan ng kredibilidad at integridad ang ICC (Most likely, whatever their motive is, it could be to discredit and strip the ICC of credibility and integrity),” she said.

Castro, however, stressed that Malacañang’s primary concern is the alleged false accusations being hurled at the President.

“Mas concern po tayo sa mga kasinungalingan na kanilang ibinabato sa ating Pangulo (We are more concerned about the lies they are throwing at our President),” she said.

Castro questioned Defensor’s motive, noting that he had previously delivered speeches calling for the President’s removal from office.

“Mike Defensor, the known wonder boy. Marami sa kaniyang talumpati ang naghihikayat sa ating mga kababayan na tanggalin sa puwesto ang ating Pangulo. Alam na natin ang motibo (Many of his speeches encourage our countrymen to remove the President from office. We already know the motive),” she said.

She likened Defensor to a controversial figure from the past.

“Mike Defensor again, Ador Mawanay 2.0 – kilala ang salitang ‘Mawanay’ dahil sa pamimilit diumano sa kaniya na gumawa ng pekeng salaysay (the name ‘Mawanay’ is known because of the alleged coercion to execute a fabricated affidavit),” Castro said.

Mawanay was a little-known figure who surfaced in 2005 during impeachment efforts against then-president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He claimed he had been pressured to execute an affidavit supporting allegations against Arroyo, but later recanted parts of his statement, triggering accusations that he had been used by political operators. Since then, his name has become shorthand in Philippine politics for a witness whose testimony is alleged to be coerced or politically orchestrated.

Castro also hinted at the involvement of a political operator from a previous administration.

“Mayroon tayong impormasyon na isang tao sa administrasyon dati ni GMA na isang operator na ang trabaho lamang ay to muddle the issues. ‘Pag ang taong ito ay kasama sa isang issue, something is fishy (We have information that a person from the former GMA administration is an operator whose job is only to muddle the issues. When that person is involved in an issue, something is fishy),” she said.

Defensor earlier said another batch of former military personnel would come forward to give first-hand accounts regarding alleged bribery, claiming there were efforts to stop them from testifying.

Malacañang has repeatedly denied accusations linking President Marcos to any bribery scheme, describing them as baseless and politically motivated.