Palace hits VP Sara for saying she doesn't favor any country

Malacañang on Friday criticized Vice President Sara Duterte for saying she does not favor any country at all.

This developed after Duterte recently shrugged off allegations that her family is pro-China as she also questioned the Marcos administration's foreign policy. 

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro on Friday reiterated that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., for his part, is pro-Philippines. Castro stressed that Marcos has promised that "he will not yield even an inch of our territory."

"Ang tunay na Pilipino, umaawit ng Lupang Hinirang na may dangal. Sinasambit ang mga katagang, 'Ang mamatay nang dahil sa 'yo.' Sabi nga po ni Dr. Jose Rizal, 'Ang hindi marunong magmahal sa sariling wika ay masahol pa sa hayop at malansang isda,"' Castro said when asked about Duterte's recent statements.

(A true Filipino sings Lupang Hinirang with dignity. They recite the words, 'To die because of you.' Dr. Jose Rizal even said, 'Those who do not learn to love his or her own language are worse than animals or slimy fish.')

"Paano pa kaya ang isang Pilipino at isang lider na umaming hindi mahal ang kaniyang sariling bansa, ano kaya ang kanilang amoy? Iyon lang po," she added.

(How about a Filipino and a leader who admitted that she doesn't love his or her country. What's the smell of this person? That's all.) 

GMA News Online asked Duterte's camp for comment on the matter, but it has yet to reply as of posting time.

Last Wednesday, the Vice President expressed frustration with the state of the Philippines under Marcos, saying she gets embarrassed as a Filipino thinking that other countries are seeing its debacle.

She said, "Matagal na nilang narrative na pro-China ako. I am not pro any country at all. Ang sinasabi ko lagi, we need to develop, we need to maintain, and we need to level up our relations with all countries, hindi lang sa China."

(They've been using that 'I am pro-China' narrative for a long time now. I am not pro any country at all. What I always say is that we need to develop, we need to maintain, and we need to level up our relations with all countries, not just China.) 

Castro had said that Marcos already expected her criticisms on how the government is handling the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) as the Dutertes are pro-China. — VDV, GMA Integrated News