Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro urged Vice President Sara Duterte to refrain from personal attacks and name-calling if she wants to avoid similar treatment from others.
Speaking at a Malacañang press conference on Wednesday, Castro emphasized the need for mutual respect in public discourse.
“Mas maganda rin po na kung ayaw makarinig ng ad hominem, mag-start din po sa mga taong nagsasalita ng masasama, worst o masasamang pag-describe sa kapwa tao,” Castro stated.
“Siguro dapat magsimula kay Bise Presidente na maging magalang din sa pananalita para hindi rin naibabalik sa kanya,” she added.
Castro issued the statement after Duterte posted a social media message criticizing what the Vice President described as “insults” directed at her during recent impeachment trial proceedings.
Duterte argued that personal attacks signal a weak argument.
“A strong case does not need the adornment of theatrics. A Senator calling a witness ‘stupid,’ a lawyer calling me the ‘mastermind of a scam’ or another witness referring to me as a ‘brat,’ does not prove a case, nor does it produce evidence,” Duterte wrote.
“Insults reveal the need to feign confidence in the face of a weak presentation,” the Vice President stated.