In Vancouver, a protest not just for Marcos, but for Castro, too

In the many corners of Vancouver that Palace press officer Undersecretary Claire Castro finds herself in, she’s often met with warm smiles and selfie requests. She is, after all, the straight-talking and quotable de facto spokesperson of Malacañang Palace. 

But such wasn’t the case on Friday, July 3, as the Palace official was shooting footage to promote President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s official visit to Canada. 

The person — who appeared to be Filipino — approached Castro to check who she was before yelling at her, “Tell your President to resign.” Clips of the confrontation have gone viral on social media. 

The person was later joined by at least one other apparent protester. The group followed Castro and another Palace official as they were trying to leave the area. 

“Hindi ko alam kung saan silang grupo, pero ‘yung naratibo nila, ‘BBM resign.’ ‘Yung naratibo nila eh ‘maleta,’” said Castro, recalling the incident to traveling Philippine media. 

(I’m not sure which group they were from, but their narrative was, “BBM resign.” Their narrative was about luggage.) 

BBM is the nickname of President Marcos, while maleta, literally luggage, is a neologism that has come to mean corruption in government. It’s derived from claims that cash — supposedly stolen from government infrastructure projects — was delivered to officials in luggages. 

“At sinabihan ako na pangit at sinungaling. Noong sinabi nilang pangit raw ako, feeling ko sila ang sinungaling. May freedom of expression tayo, pero ‘di naman kailangan na bastos. Pilipino kayo — ‘di naman ganyan ang ugali ng Pilipino eh,” said the lawyer. 

(I was told I was ugly and a liar. When they said I was ugly, I felt they were the liars. We value freedom of expression, but you don’t need to be rude. You’re a Filipino — that’s not how Filipinos act.)

Castro is part of Marcos’ delegation to Canada for an official visit. Marcos — who, alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, announced the elevation of ties to a strategic partnership on Thursday, July 2 — is the first Philippine president to visit Canada since 2015. 

Marcos has been met with protests on most days of his stay in British Columbia. Progressive groups — who had announced their planned protest actions beforehand — held rallies on the day of his arrival and on other days, too. 

During his event with the Filipino community in Canada on Friday, July 3, there were also protesters outside calling for his resignation while bearing signs that were either handmade or printed and mounted on placards. These protesters did not get close to the venue, however, and were seemingly long gone by the time the gathering wrapped up. 

At a briefing earlier on Friday, Castro brushed off the protest that met Marcos in Vancouver — and even the one he left behind in Manila. 

“Siguro lahat naman ng bansa at lahat naman ng mga leaders ay sanay sa protesta (I would think all countries and all leaders are used to protests),” she told the traveling press. 

“Ang tanong na lang natin, ‘yung kanila bang sinisigaw ay may katotohanan? Ang kanila bang sinisigaw ay mayroong basehan? Kung ang kanila bang sinisigaw ay talagang paninira lamang at walang ibang dahilan kung hindi ibaba ang bansang Pilipinas sa mata ng ibang bansa? Hindi ba dapat minamahal natin ang sarili nating bansa? Hindi sa pamamagitan ng pagprotesta na walang basehan. Huwag nilang sirain ang sarili nating bansa,” she said. 

(Our only question is — is what they are shouting based on truth? Is there a basis to their allegations? Or are their calls merely meant to smear and are being done for no reason other than to bring down the Philippines in the eyes of other countries? Are we not supposed to love our own country? It should not be through protests that have no basis. They should not be badmouthing our own country.) 

Marcos flew to Vancouver on Wednesday, July 1, despite a surprise protest by the Iglesia Ni Cristo, a local religious group known for its projection of its political strength. The protest began on Tuesday, June 30, but eventually fizzled out. It was mounted over fears that a plunder case would be filed against the first senator from the group, Rodante Marcoleta.

Marcoleta was eventually charged with plunder on July 3 in the Philippines. – Rappler.com