Manila, March 10 -- Malacanang said Monday it was Vice President Sara Z. Duterte who abandoned the government, downplaying her claims that the administration turned its back on the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

In a press briefing, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro reacted to Duterte's remarks during an event in Hong Kong over the weekend, where the latter claimed that the government left the OVP behind.

Castro emphasized that the Vice President was given an opportunity to defend her proposed 2025 budget.

Instead, Duterte skipped the plenary deliberations of the OVP's 2025 budget at the House of Representatives, prompting lawmakers to trim down the budget allocation.

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