VP Duterte, kin fly to Germany; OVP mum on trip

Vice President Sara Duterte —Photo by Richard A. Reyes | Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines — Amid the inclement weather in Metro Manila and other parts of the archipelago, Vice President Sara Duterte and members of her family left the country for an unannounced trip to Germany early Wednesday.

Duterte, accompanied by her husband Manases Carpio, their children, and her mother Elizabeth Abellana-Zimmerman, boarded the Dubai-bound Emirates flight EK-335 that took off from Ninoy Aquino International Airport around 12:30 a.m.

From Dubai, the family will take a connecting flight to Munich, Germany, according to an airport official who asked not to be named for lack of authority to speak on the matter.

READ: Metro Manila now under state of calamity due to Typhoon Carina

It was not immediately clear if the Vice President left on official business or for a private matter. When asked for details regarding the trip, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) had yet to provide any information as of press time.

‘Relief boxes’ ready

As news spread of Duterte’s trip, netizens mostly posted comments on social media wondering why she had to leave the country amid a calamity, which on Wednesday caused the worst flooding thus far this year in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon.

READ: Over 10,000 families in NCR evacuated due to Carina – DSWD

Duterte’s staff did issue a press statement in the afternoon—but it was about the “relief boxes” prepared by the OVP for families affected by Typhoon “Carina” in Metro Manila and the Calabarzon region.

The OVP “awaits the green light from the Office of the Civil Defense to formally begin its relief efforts in various localities in Metro Manila and Calabarzon since the rescue phase is still ongoing in different flooded areas,” the statement read. —with a report from Kathleen De Villa