As a House member sought permission to leave the country for several weeks, Malacañang issued a pointed reminder that public office carries a duty to legislate rather than take extended trips abroad.
Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said lawmakers should concentrate on crafting policies that directly serve the public, stressing that national development depends on officials doing their work. “In order for the county to achieve development, all of us should work. Lawmakers are obliged to create good laws for the country and the people,” Castro said in a text message Wednesday night.
Her remarks came as Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte requested clearance from the House of Representatives to travel overseas. The original plan covered 17 countries from Dec. 15, 2025 to Feb. 20, 2026, though the lawmaker later revised the request, narrowing the itinerary to two countries and shortening the schedule to Jan. 3 until Jan. 30.
Castro went further, criticizing what she described as prolonged absences by elected officials while continuing to receive public compensation. “If a public servant only goes on vacation or world tour, he won’t understand anything and he won’t do anything but avoid the corruption issue he is facing. Remember, the ones in Congress are compensated even if they are having a vacation or are hiding. The money of the people are wasted on people like them,” she added.
Duterte, for his part, has accused the administration of misusing state resources, claiming that government funds are being turned into political tools by allies of Malacañang.
He has also taken aim at the proposed 2026 national budget, alleging that discretionary allocations were inflated and warning that P63.9 billion would be spent “like there is no tomorrow” despite unresolved accountability issues tied to past flood control projects.
According to the lawmaker, responsibility should rest with those behind the alleged irregularities rather than creating new funding streams that could be vulnerable to misuse. He further claimed that while flood control funds were removed, the amounts were shifted to the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program, which he described as a “political weapon” used by administration allies.
