Vice President Sara Duterte sharply criticised the palace’s hosting of a book launch and musical event during the wake of Typhoon Tino (international name: Kalmaegi), which hit the Philippines last week. The gathering, attended by First Lady Liza Araneta‑Marcos at Malacañang Palace, was held on November 6 and 7.
In a chance interview in Negros Occidental, Duterte said in Filipino: “This doesn’t answer the question of why there are parties happening while our fellow citizens are suffering from floods.” She added: “It’s no longer acceptable for questions to go unanswered. When the Office of the President or the Palace is asked something, they should be required to respond properly and clearly explain their side.”
Duterte also criticised the palace for deflecting. She said the institution “cannot just direct the attention to a different issue as an attempt to cover their own.”
Palace spokesperson Under-Secretary Claire Castro, however, defended the attendance of Araneta-Marcos, stating the events recognised former first ladies and showcased Filipino talent, and were “official” in nature — not costume-parties, referring to recent remarks about Duterte’s Halloween costume.
Duterte went on to level fresh criticism at alleged corruption in government. She reiterated that, while serving as Education Secretary, she alerted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to budget anomalies, saying: “So we already know there’s a problem with the budget. We already know who’s behind the anomalies and corruption in our budget, yet up to now, no one has been held accountable. There’s been nothing but investigations.”
She also accused the newly formed Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) of being a narrative-control vehicle: “It seems that the so-called [ICI] was created merely to control the story, to shape the narrative surrounding the corruption scandal.”
The ICI was established on September 11 by Executive Order No. 94, following reports of alleged irregularities in flood-control projects and other infrastructure from past administrations.
Duterte herself faces separate allegations linked to misuse of funds during her term at the Department of Education and the unsettled P12.3 billion transactions under her leadership. She has dismissed them as “political attacks,” pledging to address them only “in the proper forum.”
