Vice President Sara Z. Duterte on Wednesday said the Philippines continues to "starve, suffer, and sink" due to the actions of deceitful government officials under the Marcos administration.

In a statement titled “Message to My Muslim Brothers and Sisters,” posted on Facebook, Duterte said Filipinos deserve a government as they claimed that the current administration is poorly running the country.

“The Philippines must be led by people who have concern and capacity to promote clean government and nation development. But the Philippines is now led by people who are not loyal to their sworn jobs. So the only thing that overcomes us is fear for our children's future.”

Duterte, who recently stepped down from her role as Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary, said she felt sorry for the ongoing struggles of Filipinos, including inadequate infrastructure, healthcare, security, and foreign interference.

She added that the current administration has left Filipinos feeling "worthless" and neglected, as the country's problems stem from a lack of genuine concern and effective action by those in power.

The Philippines, she said, should be surpassing its neighboring countries despite the hard work and talent of Filipinos.

“My brothers and sisters, with the diligence and excellence of the Filipinos, the Philippines should be the first among our neighboring countries,” her statement read.

"We are so sick and tired of seeing a nation left behind. We are treated as if we are unpleasant and as though we are inferior to others. We, Filipinos, deserve more than what we are hearing and seeing from the government right now. We deserve better," Duterte added. 

She also criticized the present administration for not having a proper “flood-control master plan” after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. touted his administration's flood prevention measures in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 22.

Duterte expressed frustration over the absence of a healthcare system that reduces the medical costs for Filipinos.

“The Philippines has a healthcare system that should truly take care of the health of every Filipino and reduce the medical expenses whenever disaster comes. But the Philippines now has PhilHealth, and instead of insisting, it will draw funds to be used for things that have nothing to do with human health,” she added.

Airport officials, she said, should strive to achieve the aspiration of having a world-class facility that values the safety and privacy of all passengers, especially when it comes to young people. 

“But the Philippines now has airport officials who are mouth-watering about security threats, and they don't even conduct thorough investigations whenever there are threats such as publishing video footage, flight details, and other sensitive information of passengers, even by minors. Age,” Duterte said.

She added: “The Philippines, as an independent country, must stand up against foreign interference in our domestic affairs. But the Philippines is now easily bending down and will only follow any foreigners’ will and interference just like the ICC.”

On cop shortage

She also accused the House of Representatives of not understanding that the shortage of police personnel is unlikely to be resolved within our lifetime due to the ever-growing population and insufficient budgetary resources to hire more staff.

“(In) the Philippines, there are representatives in the House who should understand the real cause of the shortage in the police to population ratio — that the shortage is a figure that cannot be solved during our lifetime due to the annually ballooning population and lack of budgetary resources to hire more personnel.

“The country should have representatives who understand that, in order to fully address the shortage, there is a need to leverage available technology and leapfrog into the future where policemen are armed with the best security products that do not require their physical presence all the time. But the Philippines now has a representative who, instead of passing a new law, insists on meddling in other people's issues,” she added.

Duterte's security detail was earlier reduced after Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Rommel Marbil reassigned 75 cops guarding her to Metro Manila for peace and order tasks.

While the Vice President thanked the six Muslim tribes for offering security to her and her family, Duterte underscored the country’s security is more important than hers.

“Thank you so much to my Iranun, Kagan, Maguindanao, Maranao, Sama, and Tausug brothers and sisters for fearlessly expressing support and willingness to help for my and my family's safety. No words can express my gratitude to you guys,” she said.

Before this, Duterte issued an open letter to Marbil, condemning the removal of 75 police security escorts as a “clear case of political harassment.”

She also accused Marbil of dishonesty, claiming that his justification for withdrawing her police protection—citing a shortage of personnel—was untrue.

Marbil, for his part, denied that political pressure was behind the recall of police officers detailed for the Vice President's security.

He said the PNP wants to "professionalize" the PNP Police Security and Protection Group, adding that there had been a "perceived threat" before their deployment. Hence, the PNP is just increasing the number of personnel on the ground.

"Wala pong political pressure. Ang ginagawa po natin is to really rationalize yung deployment ng PNP natin," Marbil testified during a Senate hearing.

"We have to rationalize our people. We have to account for them. With regard po sa iba, lahat po tinanggal natin because we don't see any threat sa mga ibang tao at ang sinasabi ko nga, kung meron pong reason, ibibigay po natin," the PNP Chief added.

Cops’ return 

Marbil then promised to return the Davao police officers as the Vice President's security escorts after Senator Bato dela Rosa's plea.

"Pakiusap ko kahit di mo ibalik same number na tinanggal mo. Ibalik mo lang mga taga-Davao na palagay ang kalooban niya. Tanggalin mo na lang yung di mo na kilala. Pwedeng ibalik mo, can I get your commitment?” Bato asked Marbil.

“Of course, your honor,” Marbil replied. 

Supporters of the Vice President quickly rallied to her defense, arguing that her threat level was not comparable to that of Leni Robredo. 

They said before becoming vice president, Duterte served as mayor of Davao City, where she, like her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, took a strong stance against drug-related crime and insurgency.

Netizens also noted that Leni Robredo, Noli de Castro, or Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, a senator before her vice presidency, are not known for having a strong track record of standing up against formidable adversaries.

They emphasized that the Dutertes' opponents include powerful drug lords whose operations were significantly disrupted by Digong’s campaign against drugs.