Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday addressed the comments of First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos against her.
“Mga kababayan, bilang tao, karapatan ni Unang Ginang Liza Marcos na makaramdam ng sama ng loob at galit. Subalit ang kanyang personal na damdamin ay walang kinalaman sa aking mandato bilang isang opisyal ng pamahalaan,” Duterte said in a video statement.
(Countrymen, as a person, First Lady Liza Marcos has the right to feel bad and angry. But her personal feelings have nothing to do with my mandate as a government official).
The Education Secretary added that she will leave the matter to a private discussion between her and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. moving forward.
Instead of responding directly to Araneta-Marcos, Duterte said we should focus instead on resolving national issues.
“Patuloy ang pagtaas ng presyo ng pagkain at iba pang mga bilihin at ito ay mas nagpapahirap pa sa dinaranas na gutom o kawalan ng sapat na pagkain ng mahihirap natin kababayan,” she said.
(Food prices keep rising as well as other commodities and this is what makes it more difficult for those who experience hunger or food shortage among our poor countrymen.)
The Vice President also mentioned other issues like lack of electrical and water supply, proliferation of drugs, as well as criminality and other security threats.
“Unahin natin ang Pilipinas (Let’s prioritize the Philippines),” she added.
Araneta-Marcos previously said that Duterte “crossed the line” when the latter allegedly laughed at former President Rodrigo Duterte calling Mr. Marcos “bangag (high).”
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline Sara Duterte on Liza Marcos: Her personal feelings are unrelated to my job