MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte described as "trash" the claim that she threw a laptop at one of her impeachment counsels, saying that it is one of those campaigns to destroy her credibility.
Her response comes after several social media posts, amplified by lawyers Lorna Kapunan and Jesus Falcis, claim that Duterte threw a fit to defense counsel and spokesman Michael Wesley Poa out of "frustration."
Poa has denied the allegations, calling them "creative but false."
Speaking to blogger Alvin Zarzate at The Hague, Duterte addressed the issue and described it as "trashy gossip" that should not be given any attention.
"I’ll just answer it: never in the history of my career have I ever thrown a laptop at a colleague, an employee, or a lawyer. Because first and foremost, there are no... if you throw a laptop or a cellphone, there are no benefits for you. And, of course, there are no benefits for the person who gets hit by that laptop or cellphone," Duterte said in Filipino on Wednesday afternoon (Thursday morning Manila time).
She also sais that she did not know how to use a computer and relies on her office colleagues for her documents, and that she would not just "throw away carelessly" her personal laptop.
Duterte further described the issue as one of those misinformation campaigns peddled by her detractors to "muddle the story and favor the narrative they want to push."
"And what kind of narrative are they trying to push? That I’m crazy, I’m stupid, I’m pro-China... 'incompetent' also came from them. Before, they used to call me a brat, but I don't know, they seem to have stopped that now. 'Crazy' or 'unstable'—that’s what I’m saying; it’s trash, but of course, it gets consumed on social media to favor the narrative the enemies want," Duterte said.
