SARA DUTERTE’S IMPEACHMENT
Sara Duterte refutes PCO claim, denies unauthorized travel to Kuwait
Vice President Sara Duterte appeared in Davao City on Thursday, directly refuting claims made by Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro that she had traveled to Kuwait without the required travel authority.
In a chance interview with reporters, Duterte labeled the accusations as “political scapegoating” by the current administration. She stated, “There’s no truth at all that I went to Kuwait without a travel authority. I guess that is another one of the things the Office of the President is doing to divert the conversation from what is really happening in our country.”
Duterte suggested that the timing of Castro’s statements was a deliberate attempt to redirect public attention following a Senate vote that was unfavorable to the administration. She referenced the Senate’s decision to archive the impeachment case against her, with 19 senators voting in favor of the motion.
The Vice President criticized the PCO’s actions, highlighting their own advocacy against “fake news and misinformation.” “Pumunta daw ako ng Kuwait without travel authority sabi ni Claire Castro,” Duterte said. “Well, sila naman lagi nagsasabi na wag magpropagate ng fake news and misinformation.”
Castro, while in India, had told reporters that Duterte had yet to secure a travel authority for an event scheduled for August 8 in Kuwait. Following the Senate vote, Castro went live on her YouTube channel to further question the Office of the Vice President’s knowledge of Duterte’s location.
The Senate’s decision to archive the impeachment case came after four senators voted against the motion and one abstained, citing the need to await a Supreme Court ruling on the matter. Sources
