MANILA (August 21) – Malacañang on Thursday blasted Vice President Sara Duterte over her latest remarks abroad, accusing her of weaving “self-serving lies” against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and pursuing “selfish ambition” to topple him from power.
“Lahat ng kwento niya ay para siraan ang Pangulo dahil nais niyang pababain ito sa pwesto at siya ang maging pangulo. Makasariling hangarin (All her stories are to malign the President because she wants him ousted so she can become president. Purely selfish motives),” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a statement.
The Palace issued the response after Duterte, in an interview in The Hague, Netherlands, claimed that Marcos had urged her to remain in the Cabinet when she resigned as Education Secretary in June 2024. She also alleged that the President smelled of alcohol during their morning meeting in Malacañang—an accusation dismissed by Malacañang as “baseless and malicious.”
Castro doubled down on earlier criticisms of Duterte’s record at the Department of Education (DepEd), saying her two-year tenure was marked by failures. She pointed to Duterte’s own admission that she lacked expertise in developing the flagship Matatag curriculum and could not review it.
“Records will speak for themselves. She admitted… she has no expertise in formulating the Matatag curriculum. Ang alam niya lang daw gawin ay magpukpok ng tao para magtrabaho (She said the only thing she knew was to pound on people to work),” Castro noted.
The Palace official also cited unresolved issues under Duterte’s watch, including 1.5 million laptops, tablets, and learning materials that remained undistributed until new DepEd Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara took over. She added that some PHP100 million was lost to fake student vouchers during Duterte’s term.
“Napakinabangan na sana ng marami pero binalewala lang. Buti na lang at isinaayos na ito ni Secretary Angara (Many students could have benefited, but these were left idle. Thankfully, Secretary Angara fixed this),” she said.
Beyond DepEd, Castro questioned Duterte’s credibility, citing her involvement in spreading “fake news,” such as claims about an altered Beverly Hills police report and a viral “polvoron video” later found to be fabricated.
“Walang katotohanan ang mga kwento niyang ito laban kay Pangulong Marcos Jr. Madali sa kanilang gumawa ng kwento at propaganda lalo pa at inamin ng dating Pangulong Duterte na expert siya sa pagplanta ng ebidensya at paggawa ng intriga (Her stories against President Marcos Jr. are baseless. They easily invent propaganda, especially since former president Duterte himself admitted he is an expert in planting evidence and intrigue),” Castro said.
She further contrasted the President’s work ethic with what she described as the tardiness of “others.”
“Nakita na natin magtrabaho ang Pangulong Marcos Jr. na maagang gumigising para sa events at meetings. Hindi siya tulad ng iba na 4:53 p.m. darating sa venue para sa SONA kahit na 4 p.m. dapat ang SONA (We have seen President Marcos Jr. wake up early for events and meetings. He is not like others who arrive at 4:53 p.m. for a SONA scheduled at 4 p.m.),” she added, in a thinly veiled jab at former president Rodrigo Duterte.
