Malacañang has once again fired back at Vice President Sara Duterte, this time through Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro, after Duterte criticized President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for allegedly not being serious in fighting corruption.
In a Palace press briefing, Castro took a swipe at Duterte over her frequent overseas trips despite facing her own corruption-related controversies.
It can be recalled that the Vice President has been under fire for failing to properly explain the use of her confidential funds, which has since led to the filing of an impeachment complaint against her.
“Hindi dapat kalimutan ng Bise Presidente na siya mismo ay nakakailang byahe na sa ibang bansa kung saan nakagastos na nga ang gobyerno ng ₱7.4 million para sa kanyang security at OVP personnel. Siya ay hinayaang makapagbiyahe kahit may kinakaharap na usapin tungkol sa corruption na parte sa Articles of Impeachment,” Castro said.
She further added, “Ano ba ang pagkakaiba ng pagbiyahe ni Representative Zaldy (Co) at ang Bise Presidente?”
Over the past months, Duterte has made trips to Kuwait, Qatar, Malaysia, and France to meet with Filipino communities abroad. She is also scheduled to visit Japan.
Castro emphasized that Marcos remains determined to pursue his anti-corruption drive, pointing to the creation of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to investigate questionable flood control projects.
“Hindi nakakapagtaka na hindi alam ng Bise Presidente ito dahil madalas siyang wala sa Pilipinas,” Castro remarked.