PCO USec questions Duterte's gold claim

Newly appointed Presidential Communications Office undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro questioned former President Rodrigo Duterte's claim that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stole and sold the country's gold reserves, suggesting it might be another "campaign joke."

Castro cited the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) clarification that the country's gross international reserves, including gold, are solely managed by the central bank.

She questioned why Duterte repeatedly brings up the issue, implying he might lack economic experts to inform him about the BSP's regular activities.

The BSP previously stated that selling gold is a normal practice to stimulate the economy and maintain reserves as a hedge against asset price movements, a practice ongoing even during Duterte's administration.

Castro stated the Marcos administration would take Duterte's statements seriously to counter the spread of fake news.