What Palace press exec thinks of Sara’s recent trips abroad
Vice President Sara Duterte’s recent foreign trips might violate her obligation to the Filipino people, Malacañang press officer Claire Castro said on Friday.
Castro was asked whether Duterte may be committing any violations related to her functions by making frequent trips abroad, which started in March after her father, ex-President Rodrigo Duterte was ordered arrested by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and detained in The Hague, the Netherlands.
“The only thing she might be violating is her obligation to the people,” Castro said.
Earlier Friday, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) announced that Duterte was in Australia for another “personal trip.”
It’s ‘personal’
Before this, Duterte made a “personal trip” to Malaysia where she met with overseas Filipino workers, ostensively for an early celebration of the 127th Philippine Independence Day. She returned to Manila on June 14.
Less than a month before this, she was in The Hague to celebrate her 47th birthday, visit her father and lead a protest rally calling for his release. She made a stop in Doha, Qatar, on the way there.
She had been to The Hague twice already—on March 13 to April 6 and May 28 to June 5.
Her 80-year-old father is being held in an ICC detention facility inside the Scheveningen prison complex in The Hague awaiting trial for murder as a crime against humanity for the thousands killed in his drug war.
Melbourne this time
Hundreds of Duterte supporters among overseas Filipino workers, including those from nearby European countries, have converged outside the prison in rallies to demand his release and return to the Philippines.
The Vice President will be visiting Melbourne for another rally of Duterte supporters.
According to the OVP, Duterte left Manila on June 17 but did not say when she will return. She is expected to attend a “Free Duterte Now” rally with supporters of the Duterte family on June 22.
In her trip to Malaysia, she was accompanied by Senators Robinhood Padilla and Imee Marcos as well as officers and members of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP-Laban), which is chaired by her father.
‘Sara all’
On her return from Kuala Lumpur, she went home to Davao City to attend the Pasidungog awarding rites, an annual OVP event that recognizes government agencies, private sector and individuals who back the Vice President’s projects.
“Sara all,” was House spokesperson Princess Abante’s reaction to the Vice President’s Australian trip. This was a play on the Filipino catch phrase “sana all” (hopefully everyone), a fond wish to be able to do things that ordinary folks are rarely able to, like travel abroad.
At a press conference, Abante reminded elected officials that they must use their time—whether at home or abroad—to serve the people, not to advance any personal agenda “so that the people’s trust, the funds and the mandate given us by the Filipino people are not wasted.”
Reports of the Vice President’s trip to Australia to participate in “bring (Duterte) home” rally have raised concerns among watchdog groups and political observers, particularly as the event would be partisan in nature.
