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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Keeping VP 'out of the loop' in gov't a 'disservice' to Filipinos—spox

Keeping VP 'out of the loop' in gov't a 'disservice' to Filipinos—spox

Published Jul 16, 2025 12:47 pm  |  Updated Jul 16, 2025 01:12 pm
Insisting that any vice president must be ready to take over the role of the president, Office of the Vice President (OVP) spokesperson Ruth Castelo said on Wednesday, July 16, that it is a “disservice” to Filipinos that Vice President Sara Duterte is being kept “out of the loop.”

Vice President Sara Duterte (MB File Photo)
Vice President Sara Duterte (MB File Photo)
The official dismissed remarks about the Vice President being merely a “spare tire” without a real mandate.

“If you really think about it, the Vice President should be as prepared as the President should anything happen to him,” she said in a media briefing. “And keeping her out of the loop, whoever the Vice President is, keeping her out of the loop or not being able to provide funds for her projects and programs, not being able to support the Vice President is a great disservice to the country.”

“Because if anything happens and the Vice President is forced to assume the position of President, we cannot give her a lot of time to study and allow her to go with the learning curve, how long it is going to take, we don't know. We need a Vice President who is always ready to assume,” she explained.

Castelo insisted that “the mandate of the Vice President is the same as the mandate of the President,” and that the position “is technically the assistant” of the President.

Duterte used to be Marcos’ government caretaker when he went on foreign trips in his first year in office, but he has chosen several other government officials over the past year after their relationship collapsed.

The breakup in the Duterte-Marcos alliance has also slashed the budget of the OVP, receiving only P733 million for this year.

But Castelo maintained that OVP, under Duterte’s leadership, will push through with its programs and projects whether these are funded by Congress or not.

“And the services that are now being delivered by the Vice President through her office is a way of preparing herself just in case anything happens from now until 2028. Otherwise, it's all in a day's work,” she said.

“We'll still complete the job that she has promised to do in 2022. And she continues to fulfill it. And she will make sure to see through all those promises fulfilled in 2028 by the end of her term,” the official added.

Related Tags

Ruth Castelo OVP spare tire Sara Duterte
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