Vice President Sara Duterte's criticisms of the administration's policy in the West Philippine Sea constituted a betrayal of public trust, ML Party-list representative-elect Leila de Lima said. In her first public remarks regarding the contested waters, Duterte told attendees of the "Free Duterte Now" rally in Melbourne on Sunday that the Philippines should "stay in the middle" in the power struggle between China and the United States, which backs Manila's maritime claims. The Vice President questioned why the Marcos administration greenlit Washington's deployment of the Typhoon missile system in the Philippines, which has antagonized Beijing.

Macababbad, E. (2025, June 26). 'VP's comments on WPS a betrayal of public trust'. The Philippine Star, p. 2.