Vice President Sara Duterte dismissed as “basura na chismis” (trash gossip) the rumor that she once threw a laptop at a colleague, saying the allegation was part of a broader misinformation campaign aimed at portraying her as “unstable” and “incompetent” in the eyes of the public.

In a video interview released by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Thursday, May 7, Duterte said she has “never” thrown a laptop, cellphone, or any object at a co-worker, employee, or lawyer throughout her years in public service.

“Actually, sa totoo lang, masyado na siyang basura na gossip na hindi na siya dapat pinapansin (Actually, to be honest, it’s already such trash gossip that it shouldn’t even be entertained),” Duterte said in an interview in The Hague, Netherlands, on May 6.

“Never in the history ng aking trabaho ako nagtapon ng laptop sa isang colleague or sa isang empleyado or sa isang abogado (Never in the history of my work have I ever thrown a laptop at a colleague, an employee, or a lawyer),” she added.

The Vice President argued that throwing gadgets would serve no purpose and would only cause damage. “Dahil unang-una, wala naman atang benefit kapag nagtapon ka ng laptop or nagtapon ka ng cellphone. Wala siyang benefits sa iyo and, syempre, wala siyang benefits sa tatamaan nung laptop or cellphone (First of all, if you throw a laptop or a cellphone, there’s no benefit to you and, of course, there’s no benefit to the person who gets hit by the laptop or cellphone),” Duterte said.

“So, hindi ako nagtatapon ng gamit—kahit anong gamit—sa ibang tao. Pangalawa, hindi ko itatapon ang laptop ko kasi personal ko ‘yun. Kapag nasira ‘yun, ako rin ang gagastos at bibili ng bago (So, I don’t throw things—any kind of things—at other people and secondly, I wouldn’t throw my laptop because it’s personal. If it breaks, I’d be the one to spend for a replacement),” she added.

Duterte also stressed that she rarely uses laptops for work because she is “not knowledgeable”in operating computers.

“Hindi ako gumagamit ng laptop kasi hindi ako marunong gumamit ng computer. Sa lahat ng mga documents, nire-rely ko lang ‘yan sa kasamahan sa opisina (I don’t really use a laptop because I don’t know how to use a computer. For all documents, I rely on my colleagues in the office),” she added.

According to Duterte, she mainly relies on her office staff to handle documents and technical tasks, adding that she only occasionally uses her laptop during Zoom meetings to improve video quality.

Despite “not using” a laptop and “not knowing” how to use a computer, Duterte said she bought a laptop that is personally owned and not government-issued

“Binili ko siya, mahal siya, and hindi ko siya itatapon basta-basta. Masisira siya at magastos bumili ng bagong laptop (I bought it myself, it was expensive, and I would never just throw it away. It would break, and buying a new one would be costly),” Duterte said.

Duterte noted that she bought the device herself because the government supposedly could not afford the type of laptop she preferred.

“Hindi ma-afford ng gobyerno ‘yung gusto ko na laptop. So nagpabili ako ng laptop. Sabi ng mga tao sa gobyerno, hindi daw nila ma-afford ‘yung laptop ko. So, bumili ako para sa sarili ko (It’s because the government couldn’t afford the kind of laptop I wanted. They told me they couldn’t afford it, so I bought one myself),” she added.

The Vice President further claimed that the rumor forms part of a broader disinformation campaign allegedly being pushed by her political opponents.

“Sabi ko nga, basura siyang chismis… mga ginagawa ng mga kalaban na misinformation or disinformation para guluhin ang kwento at paburan ‘yung naratiba na gusto nilang ipalabas (As I said, it’s trash gossip… these are the tactics of opponents—misinformation or disinformation meant to disrupt the story and favor the narrative they want to push),” Duterte said.

She said critics have tried to portray her negatively by attaching various labels and accusations against her. “Parang ano ba ang gusto nilang ipalabas na naratiba? Baliw ako, bobo ako, pro-China ako... incompetent—lumabas din ‘yan sa kanila (What narrative are they trying to push? That I’m crazy, stupid, pro-China, incompetent—those have all come from them),” Duterte said.

“Dati nagsasabi sila na brat ako pero ewan ko, tumitigil na sila ngayon. Baliw nga, unstable—‘yun ‘yung sinasabi ko na basura na siya. Pero syempre, nako-consume siya sa social media para paburan ‘yung narrative na gusto ng kalaban. Ayun pala, corrupt, magnanakaw (Before, they used to say I was a brat, but I don’t know, maybe they’ve stopped that now. Still, they call me crazy, unstable. That’s why I say it’s trash—but of course, it gets consumed on social media to favor the opponent’s narrative and now, they add: corrupt, thief),” she added.

Duterte is currently in the Netherlands as her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, faces legal proceedings before the International Criminal Court over allegations linked to his administration’s war on drugs.

Malacañang earlier confirmed that the Office of the President approved Duterte’s revised foreign travel authority from May 2 to 15.

A Palace official said the clearance, issued on April 28, covers visits to the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The Vice President initially requested permission to travel from April 23 to May 15 but later revised her itinerary.

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