Sara Duterte hits Marcos admin over rising debt, unemployment

Vice President Sara Duterte criticized the Marcos administration over unemployment and the country’s growing debt, saying the government was failing to focus on governance and was instead reacting to critics and political attacks.

Speaking before supporters in The Hague, Netherlands on Thursday, Duterte responded to questions about the country’s debt and unemployment situation by blaming what she described as the administration’s lack of focus on its responsibilities.

“As expected, kasi hindi naman nagtatrabaho ‘yung buong administration lalong-lalo na ang Pangulo (As expected, because the entire administration, especially the President, is not working),” she said.

The Vice President made the remarks in relation to the data released by the Bureau of the Treasury on Thursday, which showed the national government’s outstanding debt reached P18.49 trillion, up 1.81% from P18.16 trillion at the end of February.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported Wednesday that there were 2.58 million unemployed persons (ages 15 and above) in March, down from 2.66 million in February 2026.

Duterte said government officials, particularly the President, should focus on governance instead of reacting to criticism on social media.

“Ang dapat na ginagawa mo, tinututukan mo iyong trabaho mo. At kapag hindi mo tinutukan iyong trabaho mo, ganyan ‘yung nangyayari. Tumataas ang unemployment, nangungutang tayo ng nangungutang (What you should be doing is focusing on your job. If you fail to focus on your work, this is what happens — unemployment rises and the country keeps borrowing more and more),” she said.

Huge debt

In response, Malacañang said present administration inherited a huge debt left by the administration of Sara's father, former president Rodrigo Duterte.

“Kung meron tayong mga pagkakautang, ito ay normal naman sa ibang bansa para maibigay na tulong sa ating mga kababayan,” Palace Press Officer Undersecrtary Claire Castro told reporters in an ambush interview in Cebu.

(If we have debts, that’s normal for all countries in order to provide assistance to their countrymen.)

“At tandaan po natin, lumaki ang utang hindi po sa panahon ngayon lamang. Lumaki ang utang dahil namana po ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. ang napakalaking utang na nakuha ni dating pangulong Duterte at ito ay napabayaan ‘di umano dahil sa mga pang-aabuso sa Pharmally at sa mga ghost projects noon ng Build, Build, Build,” she added.

(And let's remember, our debt did not just grow recently. The debt grew because President Marcos Jr. inherited the huge debt that former President Duterte acquired and this was neglected allegedly because of the abuses in Pharmally and the ghost projects of Build, Build, Build.)

Meanwhile, the Vice President also criticized what she described as attempts to suppress freedom of expression after being asked about reported moves to subpoena personalities supportive of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Masyadong sensitive ang mga ganyan na mga tao na apektado sa opinyon ng ordinaryong mamamayan — sensitive, insecure and takot (People who are affected by the opinions of ordinary citizens are too sensitive, insecure, and afraid),” Duterte said.

She noted that criticism from citizens should already be expected by public officials, especially the President.

“Kapag Pangulo ka na, hindi na mahalaga kung ano ‘yung atake sa iyo ng mga mamamayan. Kasi kasama 'yan sa trabaho mo (When you are already a President, attacks from citizens should no longer matter because that comes with the job),” she said.

Duterte also took a swipe at the impeachment efforts against her, claiming some lawmakers were benefiting financially from using her name in politics.

“Madami ang pumipera gamit ang pangalan ko (Many people are making money using my name),” she said.

Furthermore, the Vice President also criticized Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro over the latter's remarks on Duterte’s comments regarding the 2028 presidential elections.

“Kapag si Claire Castro ang nagsasalita, huwag niyong pansinin o bigyan ng halaga. Kasi pag pinapansin n’yo, napi-feed ‘yung kanyang papansin na ugali (When Claire Castro speaks, you should not pay attention or give importance to it because giving attention only feeds her attention-seeking behavior),” Duterte said.

She added that Castro’s statements could embarrass the country because she speaks while representing the Office of the President.

“Ibig sabihin, ‘yung buong mundo na nanunuod at nakikinig para bang mag-iisip sila na parang kawawa naman itong Pilipinas. Kasi ganito ‘yung tagapagsalita (The whole world watching and listening might think the Philippines is pitiful because this is the kind of spokesperson it has),” Duterte said.

On the other hand, Duterte commented on the Netherlands’ transportation system, saying the Philippines could learn from it.

“What is good here is the transport system… There is no difficulty in the movement of goods and people, which is very important sa commerce,” she noted.

She also added that security, agriculture, infrastructure, healthcare, and transportation remain among the Philippines’ most pressing concerns. —AOL/RSJ, GMA News