‘Lack of empathy’: Lagman hits VP Duterte’s Germany trip amid typhoon

MANILA, Philippines — Although Vice President Sara Duterte’s “personal trip” to Germany received the necessary approvals and has long been planned, it does not justify the fact that she left the country at a time of crisis, according to Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman.

Lagman likewise found Duterte’s “lack of empathy and concern appalling” since Metro Manila and many parts of the nation are “reeling in a state of emergency.”

READ: VP Duterte’s trip to Germany ‘received necessary approvals’ – OVP

“Vice President Sara Duterte left hundreds of thousands of Filipinos in agony and despair due to the onslaught of super typhoon Carina as she flew with her family to Germany last Wednesday for an apparent vacation,” the lawmaker said in a statement on Thursday.

“This is in stark contrast with the Angat Buhay Foundation of former Vice President Leni Robredo, which has been spontaneously and continuously aiding the victims even as its immediate help and assistance has inspired volunteerism among citizens,” he added.

Lagman said Duterte should have let her family go on the trip without her and prioritized her duties in the country.

“The sincerity of public leaders must be gauged by their selflessness and support in times of nationwide calamities and emergencies,” he said.

“She should have allowed the members of her family to go ahead with the trip, and she could have just followed after attending personally to the needs of the victims as is expected of a genuine public servant,” the lawmaker added.

In an earlier statement also issued Thursday, the Office of the Vice President confirmed Duterte’s trip, which received the necessary approvals from the Office of the President.

“We thank the public for respecting the privacy of the other members of the family,” the OVP said.