Vice President Sara Duterte has been summoned by the Office of the Prosecutor in connection with an investigation into a case filed against her by the National Bureau of Investigation. — Inquirer photo by Grig C. Montegrande
MANILA, Philippines — The Palace on Friday told Vice President Sara Duterte to “level up” her arguments against the Marcos administration by using actual reason and data, rather than her usual claim of politicking.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro made the pronouncement after Duterte recently brushed off the investigation into the Villar-owned PrimeWater as mere politics, following her endorsement of senatorial candidate Camille Villar.
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Castro said that at this point, nothing positive should be expected from Duterte when it comes to supporting the administration.
“Ang nais lang po muna sana natin kung anong pakikipag argumento o pakikipag diskusyon ng ating bise presidente, sana po ay i-level up natin, rason sa reason, datos sa datos. Huwag gamitan ng masasamang salita o pagmumura,” said Castro at a press briefing.
(What we simply hope for is that in any argument or discussion involving our Vice President, we should elevate the discourse — reason versus reason, data versus data. Let us not resort to foul language or cursing.)
Castro also pointed out that Duterte has repeatedly used politicking as a pretext to avoid addressing several concerns even before the 2025 elections, including her alleged misuse of confidential funds in 2023 and the P12.3-billion unsettled transactions of the Department of Education under her leadership.
PrimeWater investigation
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered an investigation into PrimeWater, following complaints of poor service from its customers nationwide.
Castro said the issues with PrimeWater are not new, as customers have been “crying” over its services since 2018.
“Hindi po ito bago kaya po nakakapagtaka kung bakit hindi ito nasolusyunan sa nakaraang administrasyon,” said Castro, noting that PrimeWater even thrived during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s term.
(This is not something new, which is why it’s puzzling that it wasn’t resolved during the previous administration.)
She also said it is now up to the Marcos administration to act on these issues.
“So wala pong pamumulitika ito, hindi po lahat ng ginagawa ng admin para sa taong bayan ay pamumulitika, kailangan pong trabahuhin ang obligasyon ng gobyerno o Pangulo na tugunan ang hinaing ng taong bayan,” said Castro.
(So, this isn’t about politicking. Not everything the administration does for the people should be seen as political. It is the duty of the government—or the president—to address the concerns of the public.)