THE Office of the Vice President (OVP) said on Thursday that Vice President Sara Duterte and her family’s trip to Germany while Luzon reeled from floods brought by a typhoon-enhanced monsoon was a family vacation.
Duterte, her family including her mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, boarded a Dubai-bound Emirates flight at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Wednesday en route to Munich.
The OVP said in a statement that Duterte’s “personal trip” received government approvals, including a travel authority issued by the Office of the President on July 9.
Vice President Sara Duterte Photo from Official Facebook Page of VP Inday Sara Duterte.
“We thank the public for respecting the privacy of the other members of the family,” the OVP added.
It said that while Duterte was not present during the floodings triggered by the southwest monsoon enhanced by Typhoon Carina, the OVP’s Disaster Operations Center is ready to assist families affected by the calamity.
The OVP said it had distributed relief goods to 300 families staying at the Manresa Covered Court, as well as those in nine evacuation centers in Tondo, Manila, including four in Baseco Compound.
Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman said Duterte left the country as hundreds of thousands of Filipinos reeled from the calamity.
“Her lack of empathy and concern is appalling as Metro Manila and many parts of the country are reeling from a state of emergency,” Lagman said.
He added that, in comparison, former vice president Leni Robredo “has been spontaneously and continuously aiding the victims even as its immediate help and assistance has inspired volunteerism among citizens.”
Lagman brushed off Duterte’s excuse that the trip had long been planned.
“She should have allowed the members of her family to go ahead with the trip and she could have just followed after attending personally to the needs of the victims as is expected of a genuine public servant,” he said.
Be the first to comment