Palace slams VP Sara’s strategy to sidestep office problems

By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos, Philippine News Agency

Vice President Sara Duterte (Inday Sara Duterte/facebook)

MANILA – Malacañang on Thursday criticized Vice President Sara Duterte’s tactic to divert public attention from actual issues concerning her office by twisting the narrative against the Marcos administration.

“I think it’s strategy. This is part of their strategy na malihis ang katotohanan na may mga issue silang kinakaharap (I think it’s a strategy. This is part of their approach to divert attention from the issues they are facing),” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in an interview with dzMM.

Castro said Duterte’s series of verbal tirades against the government merely aims to distract the public from the issues faced by the Office of the Vice President (OVP), including its purchase of closed-circuit television (CCTV) units, which reportedly cost PHP200,000 per unit.

“Bawat isa? Hala. ‘Yun ‘yung nabasa ko sa report. Sinasabi naman ng OVP ngayon na nagkamali lang daw sila sa pagre-report tungkol doon (Each unit? Wow. I read the report. The OVP now claims they only made a reporting error about this),” Castro said.

Castro noted that while the OVP initially stated that their planning and reporting were proper, COA’s findings showed otherwise.

Several issues were flagged, including missing reports, insufficient documentation, uncertified beneficiaries, and a lack of feasibility studies, Castro said.

She also cited other unresolved controversies concerning the OVP, including a PHP15-million fund reportedly linked to AFP certificates used during a Youth Summit, which were allegedly meant to obscure parts of confidential funds.

“So ‘yun po kaya nakakagulat na taliwas. Taliwas sa sinabi ng OVP ng bise presidente itong inilahad ng COA… Sana maging makatotohanan lang naman ang kanyang paglalahad at hindi yung nakikita niya na huwag daw pakinggan ang Palasyo (This is surprising because it contradicts what the OVP stated. Hopefully, her statements will be truthful and not suggest ignoring what the Palace presents),” Castro said.

She stressed that the current administration has been transparent in addressing anomalies, while the Vice President’s narrative has shifted blame to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

Castro said the OVP should instead provide accurate, complete, and verifiable reports to ensure proper management of public funds and called for transparency in addressing all pending audit issues.