Malacañang said the country might have benefited from a different dynamic in the executive branch, suggesting it would have been preferable if Vice President Sara Duterte had remained as mayor of Davao City.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro made the remark during a briefing on Feb. 27, following Duterte’s statement that she sometimes wonders what could have happened had she chosen to run again for mayor instead of seeking the vice presidency. Castro said she shared that view.
“Mas maganda po nga sana kung nanatili na lamang siyang mayor sa Davao City at nahalal natin ang isang bise presidente na tutulong sana sa ating Pangulo (Isn’t it better if she had just remained mayor of Davao City and we elected a vice president who would help our President?),” Castro said.
“Isang bise presidente na magtatrabaho, mag-aaksiyon at hindi bakasyon at hindi puro paninira ang gagawin sa ating Pangulo (A vice president who would work, take action, not go on vacations, and not just attack the President),” she added.
Castro argued that closer coordination between the President and the Vice President could have accelerated national development.
Addressing Duterte’s claim that speaking invitations were canceled due to concerns about administration backlash, Castro cited past remarks from former president Rodrigo Duterte describing his daughter as a “drama queen” and, on another occasion, saying she had lied.
“Kailan pa ba natin paniniwalaan ang mga sinasabi ng Bise Presidente kung mismo ang kaniyang ama ay sinasabing siya ay nagsisinungaling (When should we believe what the Vice President says if her own father says she is lying)?” Castro said.
On the issue of the International Criminal Court, Castro reiterated the President’s position on sovereignty, quoting from his State of the Nation Address: “Not even a square inch of our territory will be surrendered to any foreign power.”
She maintained that the government’s actions in relation to the ICC are grounded in domestic statutes and obligations to Interpol, as well as what she called a “residual obligation.”
“Nananatili po tayo na ang ginagawa lang ng administrasyon ay ang pagtupad sa sarili nating batas at ang ating obligasyon sa Interpol pati na po ang tinatawag nating residual obligation (We maintain that the administration is only complying with our own laws and our obligation to INTERPOL, as well as what we call residual obligation),” Castro said.
