Palace dismisses VP replacement talks, says Marcos focused on governance

MANOLO FORTICH, Bukidnon — Malacañang on Thursday dismissed speculations regarding potential replacements for Vice President Sara Duterte, saying “it is premature to discuss her successor” while the impeachment trial is still ongoing.

Speaking at a press briefing at the Northern Bukidnon State College (NBSC) here, during the Presidential Communications Office’s (PCO) “Usap Tayo, Bayan Muna” forum, PCO Undersecretary Claire Castro told reporters that no discussions have taken place regarding possible replacements, including names floated in public such as Senator Miguel Zubiri.

READ: Sara Duterte camp calls replacement talks premature, a ‘distraction’

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“Sa amin po, hindi ito dapat pag-usapan. Hindi po ito pinag-uusapan kung sino ang papalit kasi po malayo pa po tayo sa finish line,” Castro said.(For us, this should not be discussed. Who will replace [her] is not being talked about because we are still far from the finish line.)

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Castro, who was also in Cagayan de Oro City for a press briefing on Wednesday, emphasized that they avoided such topics out of respect for the Office of the Vice President.

While prosecutors claimed they have sufficient evidence against Duterte, Castro said the public should first hear the vice president’s defense. Dressed in a traditional ethnic attire, Castro added that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “is not entertaining impeachment talks.”Instead, the administration remains focused on key national programs, addressing climate change, and mitigating the combined impacts of recent severe typhoons, a looming Super El Niño, and economic pressures stemming from the Middle East crisis, she said.The event at NBSC forms part of the PCO’s initiative aimed at promoting media and information literacy among students while informing regional residents of the administration’s projects and achievements. /dp