MANILA, Philippines — To prove to the public that they are “sober” or “descent,” Vice President Sara Duterte said that officials under her office, including herself, will take a drug test, as she dared all government employees to do the same.
Before her pronouncement, Duterte addressed statements from several lawmakers, saying that she needed a psychological assessment.
“Ano ba sabi ko sa inyo, psychological test? Kahit ano yan neuro [psychological] test? Kahit ano pang test ’yan gagawin ko ’yan dagdagan ko pa ng drug test (What did I tell you, psychological test? Or even a neuro [psychological] test? No matter what test, I am willing to take, you can even add a drug test to the list.),” the Vice President said in a Facebook live on Sunday night
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“Pero dapat mag-pa-drugtest ang lahat ng nagtatrabaho sa Office of the President, sa Office of the Vice President, sa lahat ng opisina ng Senado sa lahat ng opisina ng House of Representatives sa lahat ng departamento ng ating bayan, ng ating pamahalaan (But everyone who works in the Office of the President, in the Office of the Vice President, in all the offices of the Senate, in all the offices of the House of Representatives, in all the departments of our government must undergo a drug test.),” she added.
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Although she did not name names, Duterte claimed that she was used as a “punching bag” by other government officials who wanted to cover up their alleged corruption, shortcomings, and irregularities.
Among the issues she mentioned was President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s promise that rice would be brought down to P20 a kilo.
She pointed out that Marcos has yet to fulfill this promise, which was done in 2022 — before he became the country’s president.
“Dalawa lang ’yon ibigay namin ang mga pangako namin sa inyo nung nangangampanya kami at papakita namin sa inyo na matino kami magpapadrug test kami lahat simulan namin sa Office of the Vice President (Those are the only two promises we made to you when we were campaigning, and we will show you that we are sober. We will all take a drug test, we will start at the Office of the Vice President.),” she said.
Over the weekend, Duterte has been conducting a series of press conferences addressing issues surrounding the detainment of Office of the Vice President (OVP) chief of staff Zuleika Lopez in the House of Representatives.
Aside from this, Duterte also revealed that she ordered someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she happens to get killed.
Following her meltdown, House leaders expressed concern over Duterte’s behavior, with some calling her remarks “reckless, dangerous, and not normal.”
The Vice President even stayed at the House premises on Friday night to accompany Lopez.
Lopez was cited for contempt by the committee on good governance and public accountability after it found her committing undue interference in the panel’s hearings.
Lopez is now confined at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center.