Other way around: Gov’t did not abandon OVP, Palace says

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro denied the allegations made by Vice President Sara Duterte that the government has abandoned her office.

“No one (the government) abandoned her, maybe she’s the one who left the government,” she said in a Palace briefing.

Castro said this in response to Duterte’s remarks on Sunday in Hong Kong, where she thanked her supporters for their unwavering support for the Office of the Vice President.

“Thank you for your support to me, to my colleagues in our work, to the programs and projects of the Office of the Vice President. Thank you very much to all of you because you are the only ones supporting the OVP. The entire government has abandoned the OVP,” Duterte said in a gathering in Hong Kong.

Duterte left the Marcos administration when she resigned as Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd).

Castro noted that the Duterte camp’s narrative is to make the OVP look pitiful.

“That's what they want to convey, the OVP should be pitiful, the Vice President should be pitiful,” she said.

She added that Duterte and the OVP were asked to comment and address the allegations of corruption and misuse of funds thrown at them during congressional hearings.

“If we look at it, she was given the opportunity to defend her proposed budget. She is not prohibited from providing the correct budget of the OVP,” Castro said, referring to the number of times Duterte skipped congressional hearings at the House of Representatives to discuss her budget.

Castro likened the situation to a student defending his or her research study or thesis.

“Like for the thesis, if you submit a thesis, you have to defend it. You cannot tell your panel of judges, you are the one who will give me a grade, as that is my thesis,” she said.

'Scammed' in 2022 elections

Meanwhile, Duterte said she will not endorse a candidate for the upcoming midterm elections in May due to being “scammed” in the last election.

The recent elections held in the Philippines were the 2022 national and local elections, where she ran as Vice President for her running mate, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., under the UniTeam banner. Duterte and Marcos scored a landslide victory in the 2022 elections.

Castro questioned the Vice President’s remarks, as Duterte was seen in political ads endorsing candidates.

“If she’s not endorsing, why do we see campaign ads featuring him boasting about Senator Bato's work or performance, if there is one? What can we call that? Is she telling the truth? Because she is endorsing a candidate,” she said.

Castro also rebuked Duterte’s statement that she was “scammed” by the UniTeam, noting that it’s the other way around.

“If she was scammed by UniTeam, it is not the other way around. The member or members of UniTeam probably did not think that VP Sara would quickly spend the P125 million confidential funds in just 11 days; they probably did not think about it and trusted her,” she said.

She also noted issues that caused further gaps in the relationship between Marcos and Duterte, such as hiring an assassin, referring to the alleged assassination plot against the President, the First Lady, and the Speaker of the House, and the “continuity” emphasized between the political ideals of the two government leaders.

“It seems like someone said that there should be continuity, but the President will not allow the continuation of what is called the bloody tokhang and EJK. That may be one of the reasons why VP Sara also refused to work for the administration, because the President will not blindly follow everything the previous administration did,” Castro said.

Marcos succeeded Sara’s father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.

During the presidential and vice-presidential campaign in 2022, VP Sara was seen as the next Presidential candidate for 2028, a result of the alliance between the two powerful political families in the country.

Duterte has not yet publicly expressed her intention to run for the government’s top post in 2028, but she has seemingly been teasing that she will do so, most recently in Hong Kong.

“I still personally thank you all. For your help, for your campaign, for your support for me and for your vote in the last election and in the next election in 2028, just kidding,” she told her supporters in Hong Kong.

In January, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said Duterte can run for a higher post in 2028, as it is her “privilege.” However, the Vice President has been impeached by the House of Representatives, pending a trial to be conducted by the Senate. If convicted, Duterte would be removed from office and may possibly be barred from holding any public office.