Sara: OVP staff °collateral victims, of persecution

Vice President Sara Duterte said she is taking pity on the officials and personnel of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) as they have become "collateral victims" of her critics' efforts to persecute her for political reasons.

- EDITH REGALADO and ELIZABETH MARCELO

In an interview with local reporters on the sidelines of the OVP's medical and relief activities in Butuan City on Wednesday, Duterte said seeing the officials and employees of the OVP getting dragged into "politically motivated" accusations against her is the "biggest challenge" she is currently facing as Vice President.

"They are getting dragged into my persecution. Their work and their reputation are getting affected. I pity them because, as I said, I am a politician and it is expected that they (her critics) will try to destroy my name because there's a race (for elections).

To get ahead of their opponents they will really destroy those who they see as their competition in politics," Duterte said in the vernacular.

"But my colleagues in the OVP are not politicians, they are not political officers, they are just doing their jobs... So that's really our policy in the OVP-no politicking. Even in our satellite offices and our central office, there's a standing order that they, who are not politicians, should just have to focus on extending services (to the people)," she added.

Duterte, however, denied that she is preventing OVP officials from testifying in the House panel hearings in connection with the OVP's confidential fund spending in 2022 and 2023.

"I'm not forcing OVP personnel to attend (the House hearings), at the same time, I am not preventing them from attending. My constant reminder to them is that whatever will be their decision, just inform us so that we can find ways on how to assist them," Duterte said.