Palace calls out Defensor over campaign donation claim

Malacañang on July 3, 2026 (July 4 in Manila) calls out former Anakalusugan Party-list representative Mike Defensor after he pushed for an investigation into the three major campaign donors of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who were later appointed to key government posts. Defensor, in a Facebook post, named some campaign donors of Marcos Jr. during his presidential bid for the 2022 elections, while questioning the plunder charges filed against him and Sen. Rodante Marcoleta. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro told a press briefing in Vancouver there was no comparison because Marcos was a private citizen at the time, and filed a complete report on the campaign donations he received for the elections. She said that Marcoleta admitted in a television interview that he did not disclose the contributions from Defensor and businessmen Aristotle Viray and Joseph Espiritu during the 2025 midterm elections because the donors wanted to remain anonymous.

VIDEO BY CATHERINE VALENTE

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