By Darryl John Esguerra
MANILA – Malacañang on Wednesday clapped back at Vice President Sara Duterte for claiming that the Philippines seems to be heading “to the dumpster,” questioning her commitment to her duties as the second-highest leader of the land due to her prolonged “absenteeism.”
In a press briefing, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro turned the tables on Duterte, saying that the country could indeed be heading in the wrong direction if absentee leaders like her were in charge of the country.
“Hindi ba mas mapupunta tayo sa dumpster kung ang magiging pangulo natin o magiging leader natin ay mga katulad nila VP Sara, na mas inuuna pang magpunta sa abroad (Wouldn’t we be more likely to end up in the dumpster if our president or leader were people like VP Sara, who prioritizes going abroad),” Castro said.
The Vice President is currently in The Hague, Netherlands to oversee the defense of his father, detained former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is being charged by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of alleged crimes against humanity for his brutal war on drugs during his tenure as Davao City Mayor and president.
Castro suggested that Duterte’s absence in the Philippines was hindering her ability to fully carry out her duties as Vice President.
She added that Duterte was out of touch with the ongoing work of the administration.
“Siguro sinasabi niya iyan na road to perdition na tayo. Bakit? Dahil hindi naman (niya) nakikita kung ano ang mga ginagawa, mga proyekto, programa naisagawa na at naitulong na ng pamahalaan sa taumbayan (Maybe she’s saying that we’re on the road to perdition. Why? Because she does not see what the government is doing, the projects, the programs that have been implemented and what it has done to help the people),” Castro said. (PNA)
