Castro says VP Duterte good at criticizing but won't offer solution

MANILA, Philippines — Palace Press Officer Claire Castro on Tuesday shut down Vice President Sara Duterte’s statement regarding the Tacloban City shooting, saying the latter is good at pointing out problems but does not offer any solutions.

In her statement, Duterte said the tragedy “exposes” the alleged failure of the government to recognize the importance of intelligence gathering and identifying threats before lives are lost.

READ: Palace: Marcos open to lowering age of criminal responsibility

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She also said that the “continuing loss of young lives should serve as a wake-up call to this administration,” and that the government must act now to make schools safer and better protect learners.

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Castro, in response to these, presented printouts of old news articles about shooting incidents that occurred during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Why was it that in 2019, at Masili National High School, there was also a shooting inside a classroom? A 15-year-old Grade 7 student was involved. This happened in 2019. Why was this not reflected in his father’s intelligence report?” Castro asked.

“And there is also this one: the September 2016 Davao attack in the Philippines, which was allegedly carried out by Abu Sayyaf. Why wasn’t her father informed so that this could have been resolved or prevented immediately?” she added.

Castro also recalled a 2016 bomb incident targeting the Duterte security team and a 2019 incident in which a police officer was killed in a school explosion.

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“She seems to be quite good at pointing out problems, but she does not appear to offer any solutions. I wish she had provided solutions as well,” the Palace official said.

Since Duterte is good at making suggestions, Castro said she should have taught her father so these incidents could have been prevented.

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“And next time, before the Vice President gives criticism and accusations, you should ask her what her suggestions are,” Castro said.

Meanwhile, Castro only reacted, “Okay, noted,” to Duterte’s accomplishment report released ahead of her upcoming impeachment trial.

In her report, Duterte claimed she had a difficult time serving the public due to what she described as baseless criticisms and systemic attacks against her.

“It is probably really challenging for her to handle reports like these because reporting to the public is not based on numbers alone. Let us remember that her reports have already been criticized before by the Commission on Audit (COA), such as the P3.4 million related to “Mag Negosyo Ta ‘Day.” Okay, this refers to the P4,400-plus entrepreneurs supported,” Castro said.

“This was criticized by the Commission on Audit (COA), which said that there were no feasibility studies, no evaluation by the DTI or the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation, and no written agreement prepared by the OVP with the PDIC and DTI,” she continued.

She also said, “These are things that should be properly carried out; otherwise, you will really be flagged by the COA. There were also issues flagged regarding the distribution of aid, incomplete lists of rice beneficiaries, and the absence of situational reports or mission orders to support the distribution of assistance.”

Castro said reporting should be supported by evidence showing whether the funds were actually distributed.

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“As we have said, the report should be complete and not focus solely on the numbers. Therefore, it would be very challenging for the vice president,” she said. /mr