Julia Christine Botin

Sara Duterte leaves PH anew for personal trip to Australia

Article (news)

Harlene Delgado

ABS-CBN News

MANILA (UPDATED) — Vice President Sara Duterte left the country anew almost a week after she came back from a previous overseas trip.Her office said Duterte is currently on a “personal trip” to Australia and will attend a rally in Melbourne on June 22 to call for the release of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is detained at the International Criminal Court facility in the Netherlands.She left the Philippines Tuesday midnight and arrived in Melbourne early morning of Wednesday.“Vice President Sara Duterte is currently on a personal trip to Australia and will be attending the ‘Free Duterte Now’ rally scheduled for June 22, 2025, in Melbourne,” the Office of the Vice President said in a statement Friday, June 20.The Vice President returned to the country last June 14 from a “personal trip with her family” in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where she also attended an Independence Day event and OVP program consultation with overseas Filipino workers. <div>PALACE: THAT IS HER CHOICE</div>Meanwhile, Malacañang said Friday that Duterte may be violating her obligations to the public as a government official in taking too many personal trips out of the country — four in less than a month.“Kung doon po abala ang Bise Presidente sa mga personal trips nya or personal trips with her family, choice po ng Bise Presidente yon. Sabi nga natin, pampersonal, o pambayan. That is the question,&quot; Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said.(If the Vice President chooses to be busy with personal trips, that is her choice. But as we say, is this personal or is this for the people? That is the question)Duterte&#x27;s father, when he was president, <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/12/21/17/duterte-restricts-foreign-trips-in-executive-branch">fired several appointees</a> for taking too many trips abroad and laid down strict guidelines on official travel.When asked whether Vice President Duterte is violating any law with her foreign trips, Castro said: “Ang kanya lang sigurong nalalabag ay ang kanyang obligasyon sa taumbayan.”(If she is violating anything, it is her obligation to the people)The Palace official earlier denied that she was referring to any particular government official when she noted that President Marcos Jr prioritizes action — and not vacations — when addressing government concerns.Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives last February on charges of alleged misuse of confidential funds, bribery of Department of Education officials and an alleged plot to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez.<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6txhCtLSqAU?&amp;t=701s&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>The Vice President has said she will not attend the President&#x27;s fourth State of the Nation Address on July 28.

Vice President Sara Duterte left the country anew almost a week after she came back from a previous overseas trip.

Vice President Sara Duterte left the country anew almost a week after she came back from a previous overseas trip.