PCOO on 'lavish' parties: Bongbong Marcos will adhere to law

Amid concerns on the Marcos family having "lavish" parties, Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles on Monday assured the public that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. would always "adhere to law."

At a Palace press briefing, Cruz-Angeles was asked about the concerns that arose following the 93rd birthday of former First Lady Imelda Marcos on Saturday, July 2.

"We acknowledged those concerns. There's no policy yet in place and that's all that we can really say about it. That was a family affair and so, I don't know if a policy will be born out of this one but we certainly note that observation," Cruz-Angeles said.

"We assure you that the President would adhere to law. So that is the presumption. No directive in excess that is written into law," she said when asked for assurance that the Marcos family will not use public funds in their family affairs or parties.

Malacañang on Sunday said it would not release details about the birthday celebration, saying that it will only issue statements on issues where public interest or welfare is involved.

Some videos and photos of the matriarch's party have gone viral on social media.

Further, Cruz-Angeles described Marcos' inaugural dinner as a "happy occasion for everybody who was there."

"The dinner was solemn, the whole inauguration was solemn, simple and traditional so aside from the usual... It was generally a joyful but simple and traditional occasion so that's the best way I can describe it right now," she said.

Cruz-Angeles was not able to provide details on how much was spent for Marcos' inauguration at the National Museum last June 30.

Meanwhile, she also said Marcos is upbeat at present and that he has been well-received by the public.

"He's very encouraging. He attended today's flag ceremony of course... as required and he has been, what I can see is that he's always well-received," Cruz-Angeles said. —KG, GMA News