FACT CHECK: Claire Castro not removed from her post, remains Palace press officer

The Palace press officer was still briefing reporters on the day the video was posted, while its thumbnail falsely suggests a supposed confrontation with First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos

AT A GLANCE

• Claim about Claire Castro being removed from her position as Palace press officer is false.
• No credible evidence or official statements support the claim; Castro remains in her post.
• The video spreading the rumor lacks substantiation and focuses on unrelated topics.

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Claim: Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro has been removed from her position as Palace press officer.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: A YouTube video posted on October 4 by “PINAS BALITA TV,” credited to “The General’s Viewpoint,” carries the claim.

Text on its thumbnail reads, “Pinatalsik! Castro sibak sa pwesto!”

(Ousted! Castro removed from her post!) 

It also shows First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos appearing to confront Castro, alongside the text, “Sinira mo! Ang pangalan ng asawa ko!” 

(You destroyed my husband’s name!)

The video is titled, “Heto na! Pinatalsik na sa pwesto? Ante Kler, wala ng takas, nasampolan na? Mayor Baste, rumesbak na?”

(Here it is! Ousted from her post? Ante Kler has no escape, already made an example of? Mayor Baste fights back?)

As of writing, the video has garnered more than 22,000 views and 1,300 likes. 

The facts: Castro has not been removed from her post. No Malacañang statement, PCO memorandum, or credible news report has announced her dismissal or resignation.

On October 4, the same day the video was posted, Castro texted reporters on the prosecution’s decision to drop the bribery allegation against Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial. Castro said the decision was within the prosecution’s discretion but could “shortchange” Filipinos from learning the full truth. 

The video does not provide evidence that Castro was supposedly removed from her post. Its commentary instead focuses on Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte’s appearance and testimony during his sister’s impeachment proceedings and criticizes Castro over her remarks about him.

Castro had said Baste Duterte elevated himself as a mayor during his testimony but appeared to throw his sister under the bus when he said that he was not aware of the Vice President’s connection to GenCorp Industries Inc. 

The video’s thumbnail also gives the impression that the First Lady confronted Castro, but the video provides no evidence of such an encounter. 

Castro remains: Castro did file a courtesy resignation in July 2025 when then-PCO Secretary Dave Gomez assumed office, a standard procedure accompanying a change in agency leadership. Gomez declined to accept it, and Castro has remained in her post since.

The PCO website shows several recent press briefings held by Castro. – Cyril Bocar/Rappler.com

Efren Cyril Bocar is a journalist from Llorente, Eastern Samar who graduated with a degree in English Language Studies at the Visayas State University. Cyril is also a graduate of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024. 

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