Sara Duterte says gov't shifting strategy to take her down

Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday claimed that the government is shifting its narratives to bring her down, citing recent reports of the foiled attempt to smuggle illegal drugs from Laos to Mindanao.

This developed after Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said in a Palace briefing that former Bangsamoro Parliament member Edriezan Hadji Nasser Rimbang, the Mindanao politician allegedly involved in the attempted smuggling of P3.5 billion worth of shabu from Laos to the Philippines, was in the same political party as former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Remulla later clarified that the Duterte family has no links to the foiled attempt to smuggle the 521 kilograms of illegal drugs.

The vice president, in return, said no evidence has been presented regarding such a "conspiracy."

"Now, we are witnessing an apparent shift in the government's narrative in taking me down, attempting to reframe the matter as a national security issue. Every thread seems to be stretched into a conspiracy—from a business venture allegedly linked to Chinese funding to a drug bust in Laos supposedly connected to a Mindanao-Davao conspiracy," Duterte said in a statement.

"But what evidence does the government have to substantiate these sweeping accusations? None that has been convincingly presented," she added.

The vice president also accused the government of becoming "desperate" in taking her down, given the circulation of an alleged travel authority for Laos.

"What we see instead is desperation, exemplified by a purported travel authority for Laos that appears to have been fabricated to prop up a narrative unsupported by credible evidence," Duterte said.

"Remarkably, the document was never confirmed by the Office of the President on September 29, 2026, who has always made it a point to announce my foreign travels," she continued.

The vice president also reiterated her call for the government to "start working and stop politicking."

GMA News Online has requested comment from Malacañang regarding Duterte's statements, but it has yet to respond as of posting time. — VDV, GMA News