Palace Criticizes VP Sara’s Response; Says Use Evidence, Not Fallacies

Photo via Manila Bulletin

Malacañang pressed Vice President (V.P.) Sara Duterte to learn how to respond to accusations using evidence, instead of relying on ‘red herring’ and ‘ad hominem’ fallacies on Sept. 26.

The call made by Palace Press Officer Claire Castro was following the V.P. Duterte’s recent rebuttal from accusations of receiving money from dismissed policeman Rodulfo Gracioso Jr., former security officer of former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.

V.P. Duterte countered the allegations by stating they were part of an administration effort to remove her from office, rather than providing specific evidence.

In addition to this, the Vice President accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of being “desperate” to unseat her and reportedly pushing Charter Change to prevent the 2028 elections. 

“The vice president should be taught to respond with evidence to those who accuse her before teaching others,” said Mrs. Castro in a Viber message to reporters.

“She should learn the definition of red herring and ad hominem fallacies so that she can know her mistakes in arguing,” she noted.

“We will repeat it again and again to impress it on our minds… She needs to level up her defending skills so she can appear credible, if only for once,” she added.

Red herring and Ad hominem

Red herring is an informal logical fallacy that refers to a situation when someone identifies a fact, an idea, or subject that takes people’s attention away from the actual point.

Ad hominem, on the other hand, is marked by an instance when someone goes after an opponent’s character, instead of answering or addressing the arguments made.