SARA DUTERTE

Vice President Sara Duterte declared that she is not obligated to reveal details of her recent personal travels abroad, directly challenging the Palace’s call for greater transparency. She sharply criticized her administration detractors for questioning her trips, suggesting their scrutiny indicated a lack of understanding.

Speaking to local media in Davao City, Duterte reacted to the Palace’s comments by stating, “That is genuinely an example of their lack of intelligence.” She reiterated her stance that financial accountability applies only when government funds are utilized. “If you are using government funds for your trip, that becomes official business, then you must report,” the Vice President clarified. She further elaborated that classifying a trip as “personal” simply denotes the absence of public funding, not that she ceases to work or is on a leisurely vacation. “When it’s personal, I’m not using the nation’s money. When it’s official, I use the nation’s money. A personal journey doesn’t imply it’s a holiday or leisure trip. So, that’s what personal means – no government money was spent on this journey, but I am still working,” she explained.

Previously, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro had publicly urged Duterte to be more forthcoming about her travels, especially if official duties were performed during a purportedly private trip. Castro remarked, “She did not disclose that she will have official functions. The situation becomes different because she said it was a personal trip but it turned out she will undertake official functions.” Castro also cited potential “ethical and accountability concerns,” pointing to the use of the OVP’s official Facebook page to post about a “personal” trip, suggesting a “confusion and conflict of interest.”

Castro encouraged the Vice President to be more “honest” about her travel purposes, noting that the Office of the President consistently approved Duterte’s travel authority requests. Castro also highlighted Duterte’s frequent international excursions, including recent visits to the Netherlands, Qatar, Malaysia, and Australia within a single month. “If our Vice President is preoccupied with her personal trips, that is the Vice President’s choice… Whatever she is doing now as Vice President, this is what the people observe in her actions as an elected national leader,” the Palace official added.

Duterte also denied being “angry” or “emotional” in her responses, despite the strong language used.

Furthermore, the Vice President accused the Marcos administration of “political scapegoating,” suggesting that the Palace’s efforts to downplay her interview with international media were a diversionary tactic. “When nothing is happening in your administration and the principal or the president is doing nothing, what they will do is point fingers at another person. If there are questions about the administration’s inaction, they will point to someone else to make the questions disappear and to confuse the people,” she asserted. This follows her earlier accusation that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. aims to remain in power by eliminating her as a leading contender in the 2028 presidential elections.