Vice President Sara Duterte’s latest foreign trip has once again stirred public interest—not just for her destination, but for her purpose.
On Friday, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro weighed in, asking pointedly, “Pang personal o pang bayan? That is the question,” when pressed about Duterte’s ongoing visit to Australia.
While officially tagged as a personal trip, the Vice President is expected to join the “Free Duterte Now” rally in Melbourne on June 22—a protest calling for the release of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who remains in detention at the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague, Netherlands. He is facing charges of crimes against humanity over the controversial drug war under his administration.
This follows Duterte’s recent travel to Kuala Lumpur, where she attended a Philippine Independence Day event and held discussions with overseas Filipino workers during another personal visit with her family.
No official statement has been made so far clarifying whether public funds were used, but the growing number of out-of-country trips by the Vice President has sparked debate over the lines between personal and public duty.
