Palace hits Sara Duterte: Aren’t you one of this country’s problems?

Harlene Delgado

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — Palace Press Officer Claire Castro hit back at Vice President Sara Duterte over her statements at PDP-Laban Miting de Avance alluding to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.</p><p>The vice president in her speech lamented the “consequences” of choosing a wrong leader for the country.</p><p>In a press briefing Friday, Castro said Duterte must have been pertaining to herself and her family about choosing the wrong leader as she referenced the vice president&#x27;s stint as education secretary.</p><p>&quot;So, at that time, nakikita natin kung papaano nga ba napabayaan ang education sector dahil 1.5 million DepEd laptops stuck in warehouses since 2020 at hindi pa niya ito nagawan ng paraan bilang namumuno sa DepEd noon,&quot; Castro said.</p><p>(At the time, we saw how the education sector was neglected and 1.5 million DepEd laptops were stuck in warehouses since 2020 and she didn&#x27;t find a way to solve that problem)</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J9GF_PVxYgM?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span>Castro said it took Education Secretary Sonny Angara&#x27;s appointment to DepEd to address the laptops issue.</div><p>She said Duterte&#x27;s tenure at DepEd also saw P5.7 billion in spoiled milk and moldy Nutribun that could have benefited public school students.</p><p>&quot;At mayroon din pong nabisto or agarang nasolusyunan ni Education Secretary Sonny Angara patungkol po doon sa ghost students na may halaga pong na-recover na P65 million,&quot; she also said.</p><p>(And Education Secretary Angara had to solve the issue of &#x27;ghost students&#x27; to recover P65 million in government money)</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/3/6/-ghost-students-55-schools-removed-from-deped-voucher-program-1649">&#x27;Ghost students&#x27;? 55 schools removed from DepEd voucher program</a></div><p>&quot;So, hindi po ba siya ang problema ng bansa o isa sa mga problema ng bansa?&quot; Castro asked.</p><p>(So, isn&#x27;t she the problem, or one of the problems, of the country?)</p><p>Angara took over the DepEd in 2024 after Duterte split from the the Marcos Jr. administration and quit the education portfolio.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17467830600141746783059248.jpeg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Halalan 2022 presidential hopeful Ferdinand Marcos Jr and running mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio greet supporters en route to Pagudpud from Laoag during a campaign caravan in Marcos’ bailiwick Ilocos Norte on February 16, 2022. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align:left"><br/></div><div><strong>WHAT DUTERTE SAID</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Duterte, who campaigned alongside Marcos Jr. under the UniTeam ticket, said this week that the Philippines elected a leader who does not understand Filipinos&#x27; daily lives and was incapable of making decisions for the people&#x27;s benefit.<strong></strong><br/></p><p>“Pinagbabayaran natin ngayon ang pagpili ng maling lider,” she added.</p><p>(We are now paying for choosing the wrong leader)</p><p>Duterte also lambasted what she called a “systematic demolition job” against their family.</p><p>“In the past months, my name and my family’s name have been dragged through the mud. I have repeatedly said this before, and I will say it again now—I am not the problem of this country,” she said.</p>

<p>Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Duterte must have been pertaining to herself and her family about choosing the wrong leader as she referenced the vice president's stint as education secretary.</p>

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Duterte must have been pertaining to herself and her family about choosing the wrong leader as she referenced the vice president's stint as education secretary.

Palace hits Sara Duterte: Aren’t you one of this country’s problems? | ABS-CBN

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Palace hits Sara Duterte: Aren’t you one of this country’s problems?

Palace hits Sara Duterte: Aren’t you one of this country’s problems?

Harlene Delgado,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 09, 2025 05:44 PM PHT

Read More:

Palace

Claire Castro

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Vice President Sara Duterte

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