MANILA — Malacañang on Thursday pushed back against criticism from Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel(earlier misattributed to Rep. Renee Co), who accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of being a puppet to big corporations, blocking wage hikes, and allowing oil prices to rise unchecked.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro defended the President, saying he has consistently supported wage increases through the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs), and does not interfere with Congress’ deliberations on the proposed ₱200 across-the-board national wage hike.

“Hindi po humahadlang ang Pangulo sa pagtaas ng sahod,” Castro said. “Taun-taon po ay may hiling ang Pangulo na magkaroon ng umento sa sahod sa pamamagitan ng wage boards.”

Castro reminded critics that the ₱200 wage hike bill is a legislative matter and not one that the President can dictate.

“Kung magdidikta ang Pangulo, sasabihin diktador. Kapag hindi nagsalita, sasabihin puppet. Kapag nagtatrabaho, photo ops. Kapag wala, bakasyonista. Ano ba talaga?” she said.

On oil prices, Castro reiterated that the Philippines is bound by the Oil Deregulation Law, and that the President had already personally appealed to oil companies to stagger fuel price increases to cushion the burden on consumers.

“Kung gusto po talagang madiktahan ang presyo ng langis, magbalangkas ng bagong batas. Iyan po ang dapat gawin ng Kabataan Party-list at iba pang mambabatas,” she added.