Malacañang urged Vice President Sara Duterte to first share any supposed solutions to flooding with her hometown of Davao City before offering advice to the national government.

Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said this after the Vice President claimed that she had picked up best practices during her foreign trips would be more credible if applied locally.

Duterte likewise quipped that she was again giving “free advice” to the administration and joked she should start charging for her unsolicited insights.

In a message to reporters, the Palace Press Officer slammed the Vice President for supposedly refusing to give free advice to the government.

“Ayaw nyang magbigay ng free advice para sa bansa?! KUNG may natutunan na siyang solusyon sa pagsugpo sa problema sa pagbaha sa bansa sa dami ng kanyang byahe, ibigay na nya ang free advice niya kay Acting Mayor Baste ng Davao City (She doesn’t want to give free advice for the country? If she has learned solutions to flooding from her travels, then she should share them with Acting Mayor Baste of Davao City),” she said.

“Abangan na lang natin kung epektibo at kung di na babaha sa kanilang lungsod (Let’s just wait and see if it’s effective and if flooding in their city will stop),” she added.

Davao City has experienced massive flooding during past weather systems. In May this year, multiple areas in the city were flooded due to moderate to heavy rainfall brought on by the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Its city engineering office likewise reported early this week that 265 areas in Davao City have been identified as “severely affected” by street flooding.

The Vice President earlier claimed that Davao City had a flood control plan, but did not receive funding from the national government.

Vice President Duterte earlier urged President Marcos to seek counsel from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) on national issues, stressing that Filipinos abroad are the “best consultants” on global best practices.

“Siguro dapat gawin nila yung ginagawa ko, ‘di ba? Umiikot ako sa iba't ibang Filipino communities around the world (Maybe they should do what I’m doing, right? I go around different Filipino communities around the world),” Duterte told reporters in The Hague.

“The overseas Filipinos and the overseas Filipino Workers ang pinaka the best na mga consultants (Overseas Filipinos and OFWs are the best consultants),” she added, saying they could share practical solutions drawn from their experience abroad.

The Vice President joked that maybe she should start charging for her unsolicited insights.

“Naku, libreng advice na naman ito. Magbibigay na naman ako ng libreng advice sa administrasyon (Here I am giving free advice again to the administration),” she said.

“Okay. Ako mag-charge na ako ha, ng consultation fee sa libreng konsulta ng administration na ito sa akin (Maybe I should start charging a consultation fee for the free advice this administration gets from me),” she added.

Duterte’s remarks were made during her visit with the Filipino community in the Netherlands, part of a series of foreign trips where she has met overseas Filipinos and highlighted their role as both economic contributors and potential sources of policy ideas.

Her comments come as President Marcos prepares for upcoming foreign trips — a State Visit to Cambodia from Sept. 7 to 9, and attendance at the United Nations General Assembly in New York from Sept. 21 to 27.

The exchange also unfolded as Malacañang continues to address allegations of irregularities in infrastructure projects and pushes for accountability through lifestyle checks on government officials.