Palace slams Sara Duterte’s vow not to help gov’t achieve P20/kilo rice

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Atty. Claire Castro during a press briefing with the Malacañang Press Corps (MPC) on March 3, 2025. | PHOTO: Screengrab from RTVM

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte drew criticism from the Palace on Tuesday for saying she has no intention of helping President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. achieve his ₱20-per-kilogram rice goal.

At a briefing, Palace Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro was asked to comment on Duterte’s statement during a media interview in Zamboanga City, in which the Vice President said selling P20-per-kilo rice was not feasible.

READ: Sara Duterte fires back at Palace exec over ‘fake news’ remark

However, the vice president added in Filipino: “But it’s possible. I won’t share it with you because I don’t want to help BBM [Bongbong Marcos].”

Castro said Duterte’s words revealed her “true colors” as the second-highest leader of the country.

“It is becoming apparent what the true character of our vice president I. The true colors of the vice president as a public servant are coming out,” Castro said.

“This admission that she would not share whatever knowledge she has, if she has any, because she refuses to help our president, shows selfishness. Remember that your knowledge for the people should be acted upon immediately,’ she added.

This was not the first time that Castro and Duterte exchanged tirades regarding the P20 per kilo rice — a promise made by Marcos during his campaign in the 2022 elections.

On April 24, Castro urged Duterte not to allow “crab mentality” to prevail after the latter called the initiative just another attempt to deceive Filipinos.

READ: Palace on Sara Duterte’s reply to P20-per-kg rice: ‘Don’t be a termite’

“Let’s not allow crab mentality to prevail, and let’s not be termites in society,” Castro said..

“Hopefully, our leaders — true leaders and true Filipinos — should support their fellow Filipinos, especially the country’s leader,” she also said.

Marcos and Duterte ran under the UniTeam banner in the 2022 national elections, but their political alliance has since soured with Duterte’s resignation from her post as education secretary last year.

Speculations about their fallout were further fueled when the vice president said she had instructed someone to kill the president, his wife, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she were to be assassinated. /jpv