OVP names embattled ex-DTI official as new spokesperson

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

July 9, 2025 | 2:30pm

MANILA, Philippines — Former Trade Undersecretary Ruth Castelo emerged as the new spokesperson for Vice President Sara Duterte's office on Wednesday, July 9,  using her first press conference to declare she will not act as an "attack dog" for Duterte.

Castelo served as the Department of Trade and Industry's undersecretary for consumer protection under the Marcos administration, before a bitter exit in December 2023. She claimed the separation stemmed from doing "what any honest working government official would do" and getting "put in hot water for that."

On Wednesday, Castelo told reporters that her marching orders from Duterte were to mainly drum up attention to the OVP's accomplishments and programs. 

"I am not an attack dog. So not being an attack dog, I will not go on the offensive," Castelo said. "I will just report and be straightforward and report what the message of the Office of the Vice President is." 

"I am not here to sling any money [at] anyone," Castelo added.

Castelo also clarified that Duterte’s office didn’t have to convince her to take the position.

"I actually submitted an application for any position, for anything that I can do to help the Office of the Vice President," Castelo said, adding that she had approached the OVP "early this year" seeking to join their ranks.

New voice amid impeachment trial

Castelo's appointment comes after the House prosecution panel and the Senate impeachment court have each named their own firebrand mouthpieces for Duterte's impeachment trial.

Duterte previously designated Castelo's predecessor, Michael Poa, as the spokesperson of her defense team. But Castelo stressed her role will be limited to speaking for the OVP as an institution, and official acts of the vice president as the brand or as the leader of the office."

It was in 2019, under former President Rodrigo Duterte, that Castelo was given a plum post as DTI undersecretary for the consumer protection group.

Prior to her stint at the DTI, Castelo served as city attorney for Marikina City. She also had her own law firm.

Duterte is currently in The Hague, Netherlands on a personal, non-official trip, Castelo said.

Defense of OVP's financial records

Castelo started her first press briefing by reading a portion of the Commission on Audit's independent audit report of the OVP for 2024 and said the office was given an "unmodified audit opinion."

An unmodified (or unqualified) opinion is issued when state auditors declare an agency to have presented its financial statements fairly and in accordance with applicable financial reporting standards, with no material misstatements.

This, however, does not rule out red flags or irregularities as auditors may still issue separate audit observations or findings on more specific issues.  

On the other hand, COA gives a qualified opinion for agencies whose financial statements may contain material misstatements or have aspects that are not backed with enough evidence. 

The OVP has received unmodified opinions for three consecutive years, Castelo noted.

State auditors' findings on the OVP's expenditures are among the key pieces of evidence cited in the impeachment complaint against her. One of these is the COA's notice of disallowance on P73.287 million out of P125 million in confidential funds that the OVP spent in just 11 days in 2022. This was issued due to a lack of "documents evidencing the success of information gathering and/or surveillance activities."

Personal motivation

Duterte's new spokesperson had left DTI in December 2023 after she was placed on "floating status" earlier that year. She kept her position as undersecretary but was not given any portfolio.

Castelo's exit from the DTI followed disbarment and graft complaints filed against her and other DTI officials by a Davao-based steel importer, which came after a DTI-led raid on the company's warehouse. 

"Me being keen on being the spokesperson of the Office of the Vice President is my way of returning or giving back to the country," Castelo said. "It was not a good separation for me from the department because I was doing what was right, and I was doing what the country needed."

"I believe in [Duterte], and of course, she is a direct extension of her father, whom I served for the full 6-year term," she added.

Castelo faced public criticism when DTI drew backlash for its December 2022 release of a P500 Noche Buena price guide, which critics slammed as out of touch with Filipino families struggling with inflation.