Sara: OVP staff ‘collateral victims’ of persecution

MANILA, Philippines —  Vice President Sara Duterte said she is taking pity on the officials and personnel of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) as they have become “collateral victims” of her critics’ efforts to persecute her for political reasons.

In an interview with local reporters on the sidelines of the OVP’s medical and relief activities in Butuan City on Wednesday, Duterte said seeing the officials and employees of the OVP getting dragged into “politically motivated” accusations against her is the “biggest challenge” she is currently facing as Vice President.

“They are getting dragged into my persecution. Their work and their reputation are getting affected. I pity them because, as I said, I am a politician and it is expected that they (her critics) will try to destroy my name because there’s a race [for elections]. To get ahead of their opponents they will really destroy those who they see as their competition in politics,” Duterte said in the vernacular.

“But my colleagues in the OVP are not politicians, they are not political officers, they are just doing their jobs... So, that’s really our policy in the OVP – no politicking. Even in our satellite offices and our central office, there’s a standing order that they, who are not politicians, should just have to focus on extending services [to the people],” she added.

Duterte, however, denied that she is preventing OVP officials from testifying in the House panel hearings in connection with the OVP’s confidential fund spending in 2022 and 2023.

“I’m not forcing OVP personnel to attend [the House hearings], at the same time, I am not preventing them from attending. My constant reminder to them is that whatever will be their decision, just inform us so that we can find ways on how to assist them,” Duterte said.

On Wednesday, the House committee on good government and public accountability cited in contempt Duterte’s chief of staff, lawyer Zuleika Lopez, following a motion from ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro over supposed “intellectual dishonesty” after she was deemed to be making a fool of lawmakers.

This resulted in Lopez’s detention in the House premises until the committee’s next hearing on Nov. 25.

Castro’s motion to cite Lopez in contempt was anchored on the OVP letter dated Aug. 21 to the Commission on Audit, advising auditors to ignore the House panel’s subpoena on several audit documents on the basis that the COA’s probe is not yet complete.

The letter was signed by Lopez, though she explained to lawmakers that she was not involved in its preparation and that the content of the letter was the collegial position taken by the OVP.

Asked if she intended to attend the next House panel hearing, Duterte did not give a definite answer. “Well, it remains to be seen. Right now, we are acting on a case-to-case basis, depending on who among us will receive an invitation,” she said.

Sara mum on ‘Mary Grace Piattos’

Duterte also refused to comment on a certain “Mary Grace Piattos,” a name that appeared on the OVP’s acknowledgment receipts, which some House members described as a “fictitious entity possibly named after a restaurant and a snack.”

But Duterte remained mum on the allegations, saying she doesn’t know such person. “I have no comment on that because I have not seen the acknowledgment receipt they are referring to because basically, all the documents don’t go through me,” she told reporters in Butuan City.

Sara added that she could not comment on the matter because she does not know how the process of giving copies of acknowledgement receipts is being handled.

A P1-million reward is also being offered for anyone who can help identify and provide information leading to “Mary Grace Piattos.”

The lawmakers are also planning to consult a penmanship expert on alleged bogus acknowledgment receipts, noting that there were striking similarities in handwriting and ink across a number of receipts.

Undecided on 2028

Vice President Duterte said that she remains undecided on her plans for 2028 elections, including the possibility of teaming up with Sen. Raffy Tulfo as both of them appear to be the most preferred presidential candidates based on recent surveys.

“On the possibility of having a team up [with Tulfo], I have no decision yet. Right now, I’m not yet thinking about the 2028 elections. A lot of things can still happen... I don’t even know yet if I will be running in 2028,” Duterte said on the sidelines of the OVP’s medical and relief activities.

Duterte said she might make her decision in the latter part of 2026, in time for the filing of certificate of candidacy in 2027.

Duterte, nonetheless, said the will of the people, as reflected in the surveys, will be a big factor in whatever will be her decision.

“Of course, I will take that (survey results) in the decision that I will make at the right time. I am sure that there will be consultations especially with parallel groups and ordinary citizens who are calling for me to run for President. I will consider them in coming up with my decision,” Duterte said in the vernacular.

OVP not giving ayuda

Meanwhile, Duterte maintained that the projects of the OVP are not duplication of the projects of other government agencies, pointing out that unlike other agencies, the OVP has a policy against dole-outs or “ayuda.”

“Here in the Office of the Vice President, we do not give ayuda. If there are people asking us for ayuda, we usually refer them to DSWD because our principle here is that what the people truly need is not ayuda but a peaceful environment and opportunity to earn a living or to have a business,” Duterte said.

Duterte, however, clarified that the OVP is currently distributing grocery packs but only as part of the agency’s “traditional gift-giving during Christmas.” Duterte said this is on top of the OVP’s distribution of rice boxes to the victims of recent typhoons.

“But to say that it is part of our program to give ayuda, no we don’t have that in the OVP. We still believe, and it is our platform and it is in our budget, that good governance is the key to nation building,” Duterte said.

“And I think giving out ayuda is an insult to the people’s poverty. It’s like saying ‘Here’s P5,000 for you and we’re done here.’ I think it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that there are opportunities for them to earn a living for themselves, rather than giving them dole-outs,” she added.

Duterte made the statement amid the Marcos administration’s ongoing financial and relief distribution to typhoon victims.