Palace: Marcos to file comment on SC drug test petition

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will heed the Supreme Court’s order for him to comment on a petition seeking a hair follicle test and other examinations related to claims of illegal drug use, according to Palace press officer Claire Castro.

“If that is an order from the Supreme Court, it will be carried out — we will prepare a comment,” Castro said at a briefing on Thursday.

READ: SC urged: Compel Marcos to undergo medical, drug exams

In a petition for mandamus dated April 15, former House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, together with Virgilio Garcia, Juan Raña, and Raymundo Junia, urged the SC to compel Marcos to undergo physical and mental examinations, including a drug test, citing what they described as signs of a “worsening” health condition.

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto was also named as a respondent in the petition.

Submitting a comment means respondents must explain their side or address the allegations against them.

READ: Palace says no need for Marcos hair test, cites SC ruling

At a separate presser on April 15, Castro stood firm that Marcos would not need to undergo a hair-follicle test, citing an SC decision holding that a president could not be compelled to release medical records based on unsupported claims.

This comment was in response to a separate petition filed by the United People’s Initiative (UPI) on April 10, which also asked the SC to order Marcos to undergo a hair follicle drug test to once and for all put an end to issues regarding his purported use of illegal drugs.

Castro noted that the SC had previously dismissed a petition involving the disclosure of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s state of health and medical records. /das /atm