MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio denied allegations that she threw a laptop at her spokesman and defense counsel, Atty. Michael Poa, dismissing the claim as “basurang tsismis” amid intensifying public discussions over her looming impeachment case.
The issue surfaced after lawyer Lorna Kapunan, during a radio interview Tuesday, questioned the supposedly inconsistent statements coming from Duterte-Carpio’s legal camp regarding preparations for a possible Senate impeachment trial.
“Nagkakagulo na ‘yong messaging nila sa defense team, no? Sabi ni Atty. Poa in an interview ‘we are ready to go to the Senate.’ But kahapon lang meron na siyang ‘if we go to the Senate.’ Siguro tinamaan nga ng laptop ‘yun sa ulo, no?” Kapunan said.
Speaking Wednesday in The Hague, Netherlands, Duterte-Carpio rejected the rumor, insisting she has never hurled a laptop or cellphone at any colleague, employee, or lawyer throughout her career.
“Never in the history, sa aking trabaho, nagtapon ako ng aking laptop sa isang colleague o sa isang empleyado or sa isang abogado,” Duterte-Carpio said.
The Vice President also argued that throwing gadgets at someone would make no sense.
“Unang-una, kapag nagtapon ka ng laptop o kapag nagtapon ka ng cellphone, wala siyang benefit sa iyo and syempre wala siyang benefit sa tatamaan ng laptop or cellphone,” she added.
Duterte-Carpio further revealed that she rarely uses a laptop because she is not adept at operating computers.
“Pangalawa, hindi ako gumagamit ng laptop kasi hindi ako marunong gumamit ng computer. Sa lahat ng mga documents, nere-rely ko lang ‘yan sa kasamahan sa opisina,” she said.
“Minsan gumagamit ako ng laptop. Gamit ko ‘yon kapag may Zoom meeting para maganda ‘yong image sa Zoom meeting. Laptop ang ginagamit ko, hindi cellphone,” Duterte-Carpio added.
She also stressed that the laptop she owns was personally purchased and expensive, making it unlikely for her to throw it recklessly.
“Sunod ay ‘yong laptop ko, personal ko siya na laptop. Binili ko siya, mahal siya, and hindi ko siya itatapon basta-basta kasi masisira siya at magastos bumili ng bagong laptop,” Duterte-Carpio said.
“Tinatanong n’yo kung bakit private ‘yong laptop ko, hindi ma-afford ng gobyerno ‘yong gusto ko na laptop…”
Duterte-Carpio accused her critics of spreading misinformation and disinformation to damage her image and shape a negative public narrative.
“Basura siya na tsismis. Katulad ng sabi ko kahapon, ginagawa ng kalaban na misinformation o disinformation para guluhin ang kuwento at paboran ‘yong naratiba na gusto nilang ipalabas,” she said.
“Parang ano ba ang gusto nilang ipalabas na naratiba? Baliw ako? Bobo ako? Pro-China ako? Competent?” she said./PN
