Palace rebuts VP critique on drug interceptions

Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro questioned Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday over her recent public statements criticizing government drug enforcement operations following the interception of illicit narcotics originating from Laos and Thailand.

Castro raised questions during a press briefing regarding why the Vice President chose to comment on this specific drug seizure while remaining silent on previous major interceptions by law enforcement agencies.

“It is somewhat puzzling that out of all the illegal drugs being intercepted, this seems to be the only one that drew such a swift reaction from the vice president,” Castro said.

She cited that while the Bureau of Customs and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) routinely intercept multimillion-peso drug shipments, Duterte had not issued public statements on those earlier operations.

The press officer referenced recent PDEA operational reports indicating that the seized contraband was bound for Mindanao and linked to the Golden Triangle drug syndicate.

During the briefing, Castro cited past legislative inquiries into the syndicate, invoking earlier allegations raised in Senate hearings regarding the group’s regional influence and local connections.

Castro urged the Vice President not to diminish the administration’s anti-narcotics efforts, comparing current enforcement drives to high-profile drug cases under the previous administration.