Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro addressed the recent remarks made by Vice President Sara Duterte, who claimed that the government had abandoned the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

During a thanksgiving rally in Hong Kong on 9 March, Duterte expressed gratitude to her supporters while alleging that her office had been left behind by the administration. 

“That is what they want to convey — that the Office of the Vice President and the Vice President herself appear pitiful,” Castro said in a press conference on Monday in Filipino. 

Castro dismissed these claims, stating that the government had not hindered the OVP from receiving its proper budget allocation.

“She was given the opportunity to defend and justify her proposed budget. No one prevented her from securing the necessary funds, as long as they were properly explained,” she said.

Castro further suggested that instead of being abandoned, Duterte may have distanced herself from the administration. 

“No one left her behind — perhaps she is the one who left the government,” she said.