ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Senator Imee's 'propaganda' video a diversionary tactic—Palace

Senator Imee's 'propaganda' video a diversionary tactic—Palace

Published May 26, 2026 04:12 pm
Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro (Betheena Unite)
Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro (Betheena Unite)
Malacañang believes that the privilege speech of Senator Imee Marcos, in which she presented a "propaganda" video on an alleged plan to amend the 1987 Constitution, was an attempt to divert attention from real issues.
"The way I see it, yes, oo, diversionary tactics," Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in an ambush interview on the sidelines of the departure ceremony of President Marcos for his Japan State Visit on Tuesday, May 26.
Castro was asked whether she believed the senator's privilege speech in the Senate on Monday was merely a diversionary tactic.
The Palace mouthpiece said bringing up an alleged constitutional assembly or con-ass was meant to overshadow the upcoming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte and an attempt to bury the recent Senate shooting incident.
"Sa ating pagkakaintindi dito, ito ay para matakpan, matabunan ang totoong issue. Nalalapit na po yung impeachment trial. So alam naman natin kung ano yung gusto ni Senator Imee pagdating sa impeachment trial (As we understand it, this is meant to cover up and overshadow the real issue. The impeachment trial is fast approaching. We already know Senator Imee Marcos’ stance regarding the impeachment trial)," Castro said.
Castro also criticized the senator for having a prejudgment while the trial has not started yet.
"Wala pa nga ng trial pero parang meron na siyang judgment. And at the same time para mapagtakpan kung anong nangyari talaga sa Senado—yung papaano naitakas o nailabas si Senator Robin Padilla si Senator Bato at kung paano nagkaroon talaga ng putukan at sino ba talaga ang nagpasimula nito at sino ba talaga ang may nais na magkaroon ng ganitong klaseng gulo (There hasn’t even been a trial yet, but it seems she already has a judgment. At the same time, this is also meant to conceal what really happened in the Senate—how Senator Robin Padilla and Senator Bato dela Rosa were able to get away or leave, how gunfire actually broke out, who really started it, and who truly wanted this kind of chaos to happen)," Castro said.
During the Senate's plenary session on Monday, the senator showed a nine-minute video, containing speculations about alleged plans to to extend the terms of incumbent officials, including congressmen and even her brother, President Marcos, until 2031 while suspending national elections in 2028.
Senators sought to have the video stricken from the records, saying it was unparliamentary, mere propaganda, and laden with fake news.
Imee Marcos then agreed to withdraw the video from the Senate records.

Related Tags

Senator Imee Marcos President Marcos constitutional amendments Claire Castro diversionary tactic
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.