Where’s Sara? Even her office not so sure
Not even her office can provide a straight answer about Vice President Sara Duterte’s whereabouts, as the Senate began on Wednesday its discussions that would determine the fate of her impeachment trial.
“Let me verify that information, we’ll get back to you on that one,” the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) spokesperson, Ruth Castelo, said when asked where the Vice President was during a press conference.
Castelo was also asked whether Duterte’s trip to Kuwait scheduled on Aug. 8 will push through. But even the spokesperson appeared clueless whether the Vice President was in the Philippines, specifically in her office.
“Who knows? She can just be in the office, a few steps away [from us],” Castelo said.
No travel clearance
Malacañang said it had received reports that the Vice President planned to go to Kuwait to attend another rally organized by supporters of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
However, the Vice President has not sought any travel clearance from the Office of the President.
“We received reports and we’ve been asked about it that the Vice President plans to go to Kuwait on Aug. 8. However, as of now, she has not filed a travel authority,” Palace press officer Claire Castro told reporters on Wednesday on the sidelines of President Marcos’ state visit to India.
In June, Duterte said she would be attending a “Free Duterte Rally” in Kuwait scheduled for Friday.
The Vice President said she would try, as much as possible, to attend rallies abroad in support of her detained father.
She maintained that her travels abroad were personal trips and no government funds were used.
Trips
In recent months, Duterte has been frequently flying in and out of the country attending international engagements that mostly involved gatherings of her family’s supporters calling for her father’s release from the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Castelo on Wednesday maintained that despite Duterte’s successive trips, the Vice President remained in-charge of all operations and programs under the OVP.
“Like I said, she may not be here physically, sometimes we don’t see her but the work she needs to do for the office is still being done … Sometimes virtual, sometimes ghost,” Castelo she said.—WITH A REPORT FROM DEXTER CABALZA
