Manila: Malaca±ang on Monday urged Vice President Sara Duterte to first explain allegations previously raised against her and former agency, after she released a video statement criticizing the administration over corruption and governance issues. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, in a message to reporters, said the Vice President should not project purity while questions remain unresolved.
According to Philippines News Agency, Castro cited issues raised regarding Duterte’s use of confidential funds and separate allegations involving ‘ghost students’ and ‘ghost food packs’ during her tenure as Education secretary. ‘Totoong Filipinos deserve better kaya ‘yung mga naunang issue sa bise presidente. ay dapat na unahing maipaliwanag kung naniniwala sila sa transparency at accountability (It’s true Filipinos deserve better, which is why the earlier issues involving the Vice President should first be clarified if they truly believe in transparency and accountability),’ Castro added.
Castro said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. was the one who initiated the ongoing investigations into alleged irregularities, noting that several anomalies from previous years had not been reviewed by the prior administration. ‘Si Pangulong Marcos Jr. ang nanguna sa pagpapaimbestiga ng mga anomalya na hindi ginawa noong nakaraang administrasyon kahit napakaraming ghost projects noon pang 2020 (President Marcos Jr. initiated the investigations into anomalies that the previous administration did not act on, even when there were numerous ghost projects as far back as 2020),’ she said.
Castro reiterated that the public should choose leaders who embody accountability. ‘Again, Filipinos really deserve better kaya mamili ng tamang leader na iluluklok (Again, Filipinos really deserve better, so we must choose the right leaders),’ she said.
