DAVAO CITY – Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday denied allegations that she traveled to Kuwait without the required travel authority and called the claim a form of “political scapegoating.”

The issue surfaced after Palace Press Officer Claire Castro publicly questioned if Vice President went to Kuwait without travel authorization.

According to Castro, they received information regarding Duterte’s intention to visit Kuwait. But the Vice President said she has not yet submitted a request for travel authorization.

Duterte pushed back, asserting that the accusation was false and a deliberate attempt to divert public attention from pressing national issues.

“Well, it’s the Office of the President who always says not to spread fake news and misinformation,” Duterte said. “There is no truth to the claim that I went to Kuwait without travel authority.”

The Vice President said she had not personally heard Castro’s remarks but added that the pushed narrative fits into what she sees as a larger strategy by the administration to discredit her and distract the public.

“Yesterday, we saw that the decision made by the Senate of the Philippines was unfavorable to the administration. So they made up another story so people would focus on that instead,” she added.

The Senate voted 19–4–1 in favor of archiving the impeachment complaint on Wednesday evening, effectively pausing proceedings while a motion for reconsideration remains pending before the Supreme Court. 

 Duterte said recent legislative actions have placed the current administration under increased scrutiny. She said what President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s office is doing is political scapegoating.

“As I said, that is what you call political scapegoating,” Duterte said, using the term to describe what she believes is a recurring tactic by Malacañang to deflect criticism and undermine her credibility.

Duterte assured the public that the Office of the Vice President continues to work. “We never stopped working even when they reduced our budget.”