Palace defends Marcos' rainwater buckets remarks: 'Sit down and listen'

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Malacañang on Tuesday defended President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s remarks about using buckets to collect rainwater, saying people need to listen to what he had to say.

Interviewed by the media in Singapore, Marcos urged the Filipino public to collect rainwater amid the ongoing El Niño phenomenon, which is expected to intensify in the coming months. To collect rainwater, Marcos said people need to buy buckets.

"Hindi po ito pakanya-kanya. Kung ito lang po ang nadinig na tungkol sa balde, ang mas maganda po, umupo sila at makinig. Sit down and listen kung ano ang sinasabi ng Pangulo. Bakit 'yung balde lang ang kanilang nakita at narinig?" Castro said in a press briefing.

(This is not about every man for himself. If the bucket is the only thing they heard about, it is better for them to sit and listen. Sit down and listen to what the President said. Why did they just hear and see about the bucket?)

People should avoid just seeing negative things about the government, particularly obstructionists, Castro said.

"Sa mga obstructionists po itong sasabihin ko. Kailangan po talaga natin ng balde, baldeng utak. Para po maintindihan niyo po kung ano ang plano ng Pangulo," she added.

(To the obstructionists, this is what I have to say. We need a bucket. A bucket of brains. So you can understand the plans of the President.)

Castro urged the public not to make a laughing matter out of Marcos' statement, saying that it was important to collect rainwater, saying that other high-ranking officials have already laughed at it while forgetting that it has been practiced for a long time.

The Palace executive stressed that collecting rainwater was important, adding that Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian is set to release a video tutoring people how to filter the water.

"Mayroon akong kilala, isang mataas na opisyal, tinawanan ang pag-iipon ng tubig baha. Kilala niyo ba? Tinanong sa kanya, tinawanan niya, mataas na opisyal. Hindi niya batid ang pag-iipon ng tubig-ulan ay matagal ng ginagawa. At iyan ay ang Bise Presidente," Castro said.

(I know someone, a high-ranking official who laughed at collecting floodwater. Do you know her? It was asked to her, she laughed at it, a high-ranking official. She did not know that the collection of rainwater had long been done for a long time. And that is the vice president.)

GMA News Online has reached out to Vice President Sara Duterte's office for a statement, but it has yet to respond as of posting time. — VDV, GMA News