(UPDATES) MALACAÑANG on Tuesday countered the campaign advertisement of Sen. Imee Marcos depicting the country's current situation as "black," saying the color better described conditions during the previous administration under former president Rodrigo Duterte.

In a press conference, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro described President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s administration as trying to achieve a white color compared to the blackness of the past administration.

Titled "ITIM (Inday Trusts Imee Marcos)," the 31-second campaign ad released Monday showed Vice President Sara Duterte endorsing Senator Marcos, as they both described black as the "current color of the country" due to hunger, crime, injustice and various national problems.

But Castro said poverty incidence and the crime rate under Marcos were both lower compared to the previous administration, which she described as "very black."

Citing a 2024 report, she said that the country's poverty rate fell to 15.5 percent in 2023 from 18.1 percent in 2021.

The Palace official also said that the country's debt grew to P7.2 trillion during the time of former president Duterte.

Castro further countered Sen. Marcos' claims that the country was now suffering from hunger for justice, pointing to the thousands killed during Duterte's war on drugs.

She insisted the country was on a path to recovery and progress.

"It's heading toward being white. Just a little more sun bleach and it'll be nearly white. It's not perfectly white yet, as I've said, but the current administration is moving in that direction," Castro said.

Meanwhile, Castro reminded voters to be discerning towards what politicians claim in their campaign ads.

"Don't be deceived by what some campaigns say. Seek the truth, avoid fake news. Your dignity, your vote," she said.

The Palace official also said the president was not in favor of such negative campaigning.

The political advertisement officially confirmed Duterte's endorsement for Senator Marcos, ending months of speculation on whether they remain on good terms after the vice president cut all political ties with her brother, President Marcos.

Senator Marcos withdrew from the senatorial slate of the administration's Alyansa Para Sa Bagong Pilipinas in late March, saying she wanted to remain independent.

This was also after her committee launched an investigation into the arrest of former president Duterte and his transfer to The Hague to stand trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity in connection with his bloody war on drugs.