UniTeam scammed VP Duterte? Palace says it’s the other way around

Metro Manila, Philippines – Malacañang defended the Marcos administration against the tirades of Vice President Sara Duterte, who claimed she was scammed in the 2016 elections so she will no longer endorse candidates for the midterm polls.

Duterte ran with now-President Ferdinand Marcos Jr .under the “UniTeam” alliance , but their partnership crumbled in mid-2024.

Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro highlighted issues surrounding the Office of the Vice President.

"Kung na-scam po siya ng UniTeam, is it not the other way around? Hindi naman po siguro inakala din ng miyembro o ng mga miyembro ng UniTeam na mabilis magagastos ni VP Sara iyong P125 million confidential funds in just 11 days, hindi naman po siguro inisip nila iyon at nagbigay ng tiwala sa kaniya," she said in a press briefing on Monday, March 10.

[Translation: If she was scammed by UniTeam, isn’t it the other way around? I don’t think the members of UniTeam expected VP Sara to quickly spend the P125 million confidential funds in just 11 days. I don’t think they thought that and they gave her their trust]

"Hindi rin po siguro inisip ng UniTeam noon na siya may mga kakilalang assassin," Castro added, referring to Duterte’s remarks that she had already contracted an assassin to kill Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos should she be killed.

[Translation: I also don’t think UniTeam thought she had connections with assassins]

Castro said the government will not blindly follow the promises of continuity, especially regarding the controversial policies of Duterte's father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, such as the bloody war on drugs.

Malacañang also refuted the claims of Duterte that the government has abandoned the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

Duterte thanked overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong on Saturday for their continued support of her office.

"Dahil kayo lang sumusuporta sa OVP, ang buong gobyerno ay iniwanan na po ang OVP, maraming salamat," she said.

[Translation: Because you are the only ones supporting the OVP, the entire government has abandoned the OVP, thank you very much]

Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro denied that the administration is no longer supporting the OVP.

"Iyan naman po ang nais nilang iparating, maging kaawa-awa ang OVP, maging kaawa-awa ang Vice President. Kung tutuusin po natin, siya po naman ay binigyan ng pagkakataon para ipagtanggol, idipensa ang kaniyang proposed budget. Hindi naman po hinahadlangan na magbigay ng tamang budget sa OVP kung ito naman ay maipapaliwanag niya," Castro said.

[Translation: That’s what they want to convey, that the OVP and the Vice President should be pitied. If we really think about it, she was given the chance to defend her proposed budget. No one is preventing the proper budget from being allocated to the OVP if she can explain it]

"Hindi mo puwedeng sabihin sa iyong panel of judges, kayo na po ang bahalang magbigay sa akin ng grade, basta iyan na po ang thesis ko. So, wala pong nang-iwan sa kaniya, baka po siya po ang nang-iwan sa gobyerno," Castro added.

[Translation: You can’t just tell your panel of judges, ‘you decide what grade I’ll get, that’s my thesis.’ So, no one abandoned her; perhaps it was she who abandoned the government]