Malacañang has pushed back against Vice President Sara Duterte’s claim that her foreign trips were partly to address the frustrations of Filipinos overseas about the country’s situation.
In a Palace briefing, Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro stressed that while President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. remains in the Philippines “working, fixing problems, and fighting anomalies and corruption,” the Vice President has been frequently away on what she described as personal trips.
“Hindi po sagot ang pagbibiyahe para masolusyunan kung may problema man ang bansa. Hindi po trabaho ng Bise Presidente at wala po sa Konstitusyon na kailangan siyang magbiyahe para siraan ang Pangulo at para hilingin… ang pagbagsak at pagtanggal sa puwesto ng Pangulo,” Castro said.
Duterte, in a recent interview, justified her travels by saying, “Lumalabas ako ng bansa dahil frustrated na ang Filipino communities abroad sa nangyayari dito sa ating bayan. At pangalawa, bumibisita ako sa tatay ko na nakakulong.”
Castro also addressed online claims that Duterte had plans to visit Kuwait, clarifying that videos suggesting this were edited. “Ganiyan sila gumawa ng pekeng balita… fake news again!” she said.
Last week, Castro told reporters the government had no information on the Vice President’s whereabouts, adding that her last authorized trips were to the Netherlands and South Korea.
