Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro may be one of the government's fiercest defenders these days, but in a recent "Fast Talk" interview with TV host Boy Abunda, "Auntie Claire" showed a lighter, more playful side — from teasing her husband to admitting that if she could become invisible for a day, she would spy on Vice President Sara Duterte.

The Palace Press Officer did not hesitate when asked whom she would monitor if she had the power of invisibility.

“Si VP Sara. Para malaman ko kung saan niya hinuhugot yung mga fake news niya (Vice President Sara. So I can find out where she gets her fake news),” she said.

Asked how she would say “sorry” and “thank you” to the Vice President, Castro replied: “I will not say sorry. I will not say thank you.”

The two officials have frequently sparred in recent months, with Castro often responding to Duterte's criticisms and allegations against the Marcos administration during Palace press briefings.

In one of the more political questions, Abunda asked Castro to choose between impeachment and Charter change.

“Impeachment,” she replied.

When asked to pick between “facts” and “truth,” however, Castro said the two should go together.

“Truth. Because you can have truth if you have the facts,” she said.

She later elaborated that political narratives matter but should always be anchored in facts.

“I should have the narrative, but my narrative should always be based on facts,” Castro said. 

“Hindi ako pwedeng magkwento nang magkwento tapos walang pinanggagalingan (I cannot just keep telling stories without any basis),” she added.

Castro also revealed what frightens her the most.

“Kapag namayani ang kadiliman sa Pilipinas. Delikado yun (When darkness prevails in the Philippines. That would be dangerous),” she said.

The phrase “kadiliman” has become a familiar part of Castro's vocabulary, often used in Palace briefings to describe destabilization plots, fake news peddlers, and political actors she believes are attempting to undermine the administration.

Despite the political noise, Castro believes meaningful conversations remain possible.

“Kung walang makabuluhang pag-uusap, maliligaw ang mga Pilipino (Without meaningful conversations, Filipinos will lose their way),” she said.

“Marami po kasi talagang nabubudol ng fake news (Because many people are really being deceived by fake news),” she added.

Castro also recalled that she never wanted to join the government at first.

In fact, she said she had already prepared a script with her husband and children on how she would decline the offer.

“I had the script. We practiced that we will not accept it,” she said.

But everything changed after a conversation with President Marcos.

“When the President talked to you, 'Claire, can you help the government?' Yun lang po yung words na sinabi niya. Parang, 'Sige po,' (When the President talked to me and said, 'Claire, can you help the government?' Those were the only words he said. I immediately replied, 'Yes'),” she said.

Asked about her first impression of Marcos, Castro again replied: “Starstruck lang ako (I was simply starstruck).”

“The first time ko siyang nakita, hindi ako makasalita (The first time I saw him, I couldn't speak),” she added.

She also described the President as “sobrang sipag” (very hardworking) and “sobrang bait” (very kind).

The most misunderstood thing about him?

“May nagsasabi kasi tamad siya — that's not true (Some people say he is lazy — that's not true),” Castro said.

One of the quickest exchanges came when Abunda asked a simple yes-or-no question.

“Will you take a bullet for the President?” “Yes,” Castro answered.

The Palace official also said she accepted her position because she believed she could help the government and because the President personally asked for her assistance.

Away from politics, Castro described herself as an “alaskador,” or someone who enjoys teasing people.

“Mapangbuska ako, eh, especially sa mga anak ko. Ang dalas kong biruin (I love teasing people, especially my children. I joke with them all the time),” she said.

Asked who could shut her off, the usually outspoken Palace official gave a short answer: “My husband.”

She also described herself as “nonchalant” when it comes to jealousy because her husband is “mabait” (kind).

As for her favorite thing to do with him?

“Aasarin (To tease him),” she said.

If she had only one phone call left in life, she said she would call her husband and ask: “Mahal mo pa ba ako (Do you still love me)?”

When Abunda asked her his trademark questions of lights on or lights off and sex or chocolates, Castro responded with “whatever” and said that she didn’t like chocolates.

When asked how she would complete the sentence “I am Claire Castro…,” the Palace official had a ready answer.

“The fighter.”

But perhaps the most memorable line came when Abunda asked her to write her own epitaph.

“Nandito na si Auntie Claire (Auntie Claire is here).”

Castro said her faith in God remains her anchor amid the pressures of public life.

“My faith in God. I know He's always with me. I always ask for guidance, I always ask for His protection,” she said when asked what keeps her grounded.

The Palace official also said she turns to God whenever she feels exhausted.

“Si Lord talaga. Advice na rin po sa lahat ng nahihirapan: total surrender lang, and ‘wag niyo nang isipin (It is really the Lord. My advice to everyone who is struggling is to totally surrender and stop overthinking),” Castro said.

“Kung ano man ang mangyari sa inyo, gawin niyo lang yung best niyo (Whatever happens to you, just do your best),” she added.

Even amid the country's political noise, Castro said hope remains alive as long as people keep their faith.

“If you believe in God, there's always hope,” she said.

And when asked what she would tell God at the pearly gates of heaven, the Palace Press Officer had a simple answer:

“Because I am your child.”

For a woman often seen fielding questions on political controversies and national issues, the interview offered a glimpse of a lighter side — a lawyer, wife, mother, self-confessed teaser, and a Palace spokesperson who says she is guided by faith, fueled by coffee, and still very much “the fighter.”