Statement of Malacañang on Foreign trips of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte
Malacañang claimed that Vice President Sara Duterte should disclose the good results of her work abroad following her claim that she continues to work even when she is out of the country.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte immediately flew out of the country after the 2025 Midterm Elections. She went to Doha, Qatar where she met with the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) there and then proceeded to The Hague, Netherlands to visit former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
After visiting the former President in The Hague, Vice Pres. Duterte graced a Philippine Independence Day celebration in Malaysia with her presence. Senators Imee Marcos and Robin Padilla were also present at the said event.
At the event, Sen. Robin Padilla even claimed that in 2028, he will be the campaign manager of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte and Sen. Imee Marcos. He even called the Vice President as “the next president of the Philippines”.
After her Malaysia trip, the Vice President returned to the Philippines and led the OVP’s 2025 Pasidungog but flew to Australia after a few days for a personal trip. The Vice President was set to attend a rally calling for the immediate release of the former President from ICC detention.
When asked about the possible violation that Vice Pres. Sara Duterte may be committing over her frequent overseas trips, Malacañang said the Vice President may be violating her obligations to the people. Palace press undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro stressed that it is the choice of the Vice President if she is busy with her travels.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte claimed she does not like traveling at all unless for holidays and her trip to Australia was not a holiday. She stressed that it was a personal trip and she used her own money. The Vice President also claimed that she continues to work even when she is in abroad.
Following her remarks, Malacañang said the Vice President should make a report about her trip in Australia. Vice Pres. Duterte responded saying it is not he obligation to reveal the details of her personal trips.
Recently, Malacañang spoke anew on the overseas trips of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. Based on a report on PhilStar, Palace press undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro stressed that it is the duty of a government official to report the results of dealings abroad.
“Kapag nagtrabaho, dala ang posisyon, dala ang bandera ng Pilipinas… dapat ipaalam kung ano ang magandang resulta sa pagtratrabaho,” she said.
Atty. Claire Castro also reacted to Vice Pres. Sara Duterte calling the Malacañang officials “stupid” for mandating her to report details of her personal trips. Based on the report, the Palace official claimed that insufficient knowledge of the laws should not be covered by insults.
“Ang kakulangan sa kaalaman sa batas, sa ethical standards ay hindi makukubli sa pag mumura o sa pang-iinsulto,” Castro said.
The Malacañang official also compared Vice Pres. Sara Duterte with Pres. Bongbong Marcos. According to her, when the Chief Executive goes abroad, he returns with good news about his foreign dealings. She stressed that the Vice President probably has nothing to report.
“Kung walang maireport, baka walang natrabaho,” she said.
Previously, Malacañang also said that “when emotions are high, intelligence is low” in response to Duterte’s remarks.