Claire Castro: Sara Duterte could have `leveled up’ discourse on issues

Presidential Press Officer Claire Castro. Screengrab from RTVM/Facebook

[Updated May 5, 2025, 7:33 p.m.]

MANILA, Philippines — A Palace official on Monday once again slammed Vice President Sara Duterte for “refusing” to elevate the level of her discourse on certain issues and allegedly spreading fake news.

This was according to Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, who was asked to comment on VP Duterte’s claim that the complaint filed against her brother, Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte, was merely a political attack by the Marcos administration.

READ: Sara Duterte says Marcos admin behind assault complaint vs ‘Pulong’

“As I have said during the last press briefing, the vice president should have at least leveled up in her discussions, in her responses to certain issues,” said Castro at a press briefing.

“But it seems that she never heard of anything in regard to that, or she just refuses to listen. She didn’t level up—in fact, it seems she went even lower),” she continued in English and Filipino.

Castro also questioned why the administration was being dragged into the issue if Rep. Duterte himself did not categorically deny the viral video.

“Why is this being blamed on the President?” she asked.

In a video making the rounds on social media, a man said to be Rep. Duterte can be seen attempting to strike another man with an object in his right hand.

Rep. Duterte’s camp has remained silent over the complaint for grave threats and physical injuries filed against him.

In a chance interview in Zamboanga City last Saturday, VP Duterte dismissed the matter as a smear campaign by the current administration.

Moreover, she also alleged that the administration resorts to diversionary tactics whenever it is hounded by controversies.

VP Duterte a source of fake news?

One example she cited was the alleged incident involving First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos being held by US authorities. According to VP Duterte, the timing of this issue coincided with the arrest and detention of her father at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands.

READ: First Lady Liza Marcos never detained in US, Palace clarifies

Responding to this specific matter, Castro said, “So it turns out the fake news came from her. She is actually the source of this fake news being spread against the First Lady.”

“Do we still need to believe stories like these?” she asked.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and VP Duterte ran under the UniTeam banner in the 2022 national elections, but their political alliance has since been soured with Duterte’s resignation from her post as education secretary last year.

Speculations about their fallout were further fueled when the vice president said she had instructed someone to kill the president, his wife, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she would be assassinated.