Palace: Bongbong Marcos focused on action, not vacation

Malacañang took a swipe Friday against those who are taking vacations instead of performing government work, noting that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is focused on action.

During a Palace press briefing, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro opened her statement with: "Aksyon, aksyon, at aksyon ang utos ng Pangulo. Pagtugon sa pangangailangan ng mga Pilipino at hindi pagbabakasyon ang pinagtutuunan ng Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr."

(Action, action, action — this is the directive of the President. Addressing the needs of the public and not having vacations is the focus of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.)

In the latter part of the briefing, Castro was asked if she was pertaining to someone in her statement.

"May nagbabakasyon po ba?" Castro said. "In general po. Ang Pangulo po, aksyon, aksyon, aksyon, hindi bakasyon. 'Yan po lagi ang ginagawa ng ating Pangulo."

(Is someone on vacation? That's in general. The President wants action, not vacation. That's what he always does.)

Castro also said she is not referring her statement to a specific individual. 

"Wala po akong partikular, maliban na lamang po kung mayroon kayong alam na nagbabakasyon ngayon," she said.

(There's no one in particular, however, maybe you know someone who is on vacation right now.) 

To recall, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Tuesday said Vice President Sara Duterte would travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a personal trip with her family. The statement came amid preparations by the Senate for her impeachment trial over her alleged handling of confidential funds and other issues.

While in Kuala Lumpur, Duterte attended Independence Day celebrations by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). She was joined by senators Robin Padilla and Imee Marcos, the President's sister, and key figures of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) - Laban political party.

Padilla and Imee are among the 18 senator-judges who favored the return of articles of impeachment against Duterte to the House of Representatives.

According to the Office of the Vice President, Duterte was also scheduled to conduct a program consultation with OFWs in Kuala Lumpur on June 12. — VDV, GMA Integrated News