Malacañang on Wednesday said it does not expect Vice President Sara Duterte to help the government address the impact of El Niño, citing her previous statement that she would not share her proposed solution to lowering rice prices because she did not want to help President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

During a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro was asked whether Duterte had reached out to offer ideas on mitigating El Niño’s effects and whether the Palace was open to her suggestions.

“From that statement na ayaw niyang tumulong sa Pangulo, ano mae-expect natin sa Bise Presidente sa pagtulong sa isinasagawa ng Pangulo, sa mga interventions ng gobyerno? Wala tayong lalong maasahan sa Bise Presidente (Given her statement that she does not want to help the President, what can we expect from the Vice President in helping with the President’s initiatives and the government’s interventions? We can expect even less from the Vice President),” Castro said.

Castro recalled Duterte’s earlier remarks on the administration’s promise to sell rice at PHP20 per kilo.

Duterte had said the target was not feasible but claimed she knew how to achieve it, adding that she would not share her proposed solution because she did not want to help the administration.

Castro challenged Duterte to show whether Davao City had been selling rice at PHP20 per kilo outside the administration’s Kadiwa program.

“Hindi lamang po information dissemination ang ginagawa ng administration. Hindi lang sa information dissemination tumitigil ang Pangulo. May aksyon, may pagtulong, may mga ginagawang pamamaraan (The administration is not limited to information dissemination. The President does not stop at information dissemination. There is action, assistance and measures being undertaken),” Castro said.

The government has been preparing interventions to mitigate the anticipated effects of El Niño, including measures to protect water and food supplies and support vulnerable sectors. (PNA)