Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s departure for Germany during a violent storm has drawn significant criticism, despite assurances from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) that the trip was planned long in advance. According to a report by Manila Standard, Duterte-Carpio, accompanied by her family, left Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 at 1:50 a.m. on Wednesday as monsoon rains enhanced by Super Typhoon ‘Carina’ battered Metro Manila and parts of Luzon.
The OVP source emphasized that the family trip was “long-planned and booked,” and not a spontaneous vacation. The Duterte-Carpios were reportedly visiting the Zimmerman side of their family in Germany, with no details yet on the Vice President’s return.
As Duterte-Carpio’s flight took off, the OVP announced that its Disaster Operations Center (DOC) was actively involved in relief efforts, focusing on distributing aid in flood-stricken areas of the National Capital Region (NCR) and Calabarzon. Despite these measures, the Vice President’s absence during the storm led to widespread backlash on social media, with hashtags such as #NasaanAngBisePresidente, #SaraDuterte, and #DesignatedSurvivor trending on X (formerly Twitter).