MANILA – Malacañang responded to Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s assertions that corruption should be a more urgent concern for the administration rather than targeting the Duterte family.
According to Presidential Communications Office’s Undersecretary Claire Castro, Duterte-Carpio is right that the government must address the corruption issue and it will address it starting with the Office of the Vice President’s confidential funds.
“Yes, she said the real problem of the government is with regard to the corruption,” Castro said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel’s Headstart.
“And we can see based on the discoveries of the members of the House of Representatives, we can see allegedly faked or unsubstantiated receipts coming from the OVP regarding the confidential funds,” she added.
Castro further said that if Duterte-Carpio is serious about tackling corruption, scrutiny should begin with her office’s expenditures.
“So, VP Sara is really correct that we should deal with the issues of corruption, and we will start with the confidential funds that she spent,” Castro said.
Duterte-Carpio’s alleged misuse of confidential funds is included as one of the articles of impeachment signed by the House of Representatives, which is set to go to trial in the Senate.
In an interview with the Philippines-based media in The Hague, Netherlands last week, Duterte-Carpio stated that, instead of ganging up on the Dutertes, the government must focus on the pressing matters in the country.
“Let us not forget the real issues in our country and that is poverty and corruption,” Duterte-Carpio said. “The failure of the government to answer the demands from the people about accountability and transparency.”/PN
