According to VP Sara Duterte, she doesn’t use the taxpayers’ money for her travels.
Dismissing the accusations and criticisms, VP Sara Duterte stressed that she is not using the taxpayers’ money to fund her travels abroad.
Mid of this month, Vice President Sara Duterte arrived in the country from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She led the 127th Philippine Independence Day celebration, and during that official trip, she met with Filipinos residing and working. The visit was part of her mandate as the President of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO).
After Malaysia, VP Sara flew to Australia. It was a personal trip to Melbourne, Australia, as confirmed by the Office of the Vice President. She left to and led the “Free Duterte Now” gathering on June 22.
To recall, former president Rodrigo Duterte was arrested last March by the authorities after an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) was sent to Interpol Manila. He has been held at the ICC’s detention unit at Scheveningen Prison since March.
With the personal trips coming one after another, VP Sara reacted to the criticisms and asserted that she is not spending the taxpayers’ money on her travels abroad. In the first half of 2025, she had already traveled overseas at least five times. She went to the Netherlands in March, returned to The Hague in late May, and flew to Qatar, Malaysia, and Australia.
“Walang ginamit na pera ng gobyerno sa lakad na ito pero nagtratrabaho pa rin ako. Sa official, ginamit namin ang pera ng gobyerno para sa lakad na yun,” she explained.
The Palace questioned her travels and even asked if those travels were personal or for the country.
She then clarified that Duterte supporters overseas are the ones spending money on rallies and other events, while she shoulders her own airfare and hotel accommodations. The second-in-command also expressed, “Hindi ko alam kung sinasadya nilang wag intindihin o bobo lang yung nasa administrasyon. I like to believe the latter.”
The vice president revealed that she is slated to have more travels abroad in the coming months. She has more “personal trips” planned, particularly in South Korea and Kuwait. She will be in South Korea on July 28, the same day President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is going to have his State of the Nation Address (SONA).
She is then set to travel to Kuwait on August 8.
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