Vice President Sara Duterte —PHOTO FROM
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MANILA, Philippines — Members of the House of Representatives’ Young Guns bloc gave choice words and adjectives for Vice President Sara Duterte — calling her desperate and insolent — after she threatened to exhume former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s remains and throw them to the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
1-Rider party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez and Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said this on Friday, in response to Duterte’s warning to Senator Imee Marcos — Marcos Sr.’s daughter and sister of incumbent President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
In a press briefing earlier, Duterte was asked if President Marcos forgot that it was her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, who allowed the Marcos patriarch’s burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Duterte said that she told Senator Marcos that she will dig Marcos Sr.’s body and throw it to the WPS if their families’ quarrel does not stop.
“Bastos at desperada (Insolent and desperate),” Adiong and Gutierrez said in description of Duterte’s threat.
“Threatening to desecrate the dead just to shift the narrative is utterly unacceptable. The Vice President must answer the allegations against her, not stoop to such shameful actions,” Adiong said.
“This is pure desperation. Instead of facing the allegations head-on, VP Duterte resorts to vile threats. It’s a clear attempt to divert attention, but no amount of disrespect will cover up her mismanagement,” Gutierrez added.
READ: Duterte: I’ll throw Marcos Sr.’s body into West PH Sea if attacks continue
Adiong said this is a new low — as it is in Filipinos’ culture to honor the dead regardless of their opposing stances when the person was alive.
“This isn’t just political banter—it’s a blatant act of desecration. In our culture, we honor the dead. To use them as pawns in a political game is disgusting,” Adiong said.
“Vice President Duterte should focus on addressing the misuse of public funds instead of resorting to such disgraceful tactics,” she added.
Earlier, several key lawmakers asked Duterte to refrain from using diversionary tactics and instead address head-on the questions regarding her past and present offices’ budget spending.
In separate statements on Friday, Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas, Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr., Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, and Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua believe it would be better for the Vice President to face these accusations head-on.
On Thursday, during the hearing of the House committee on good government and public accountability, lawmakers observed that the Department of Education, while under Duterte, made it seem that they used their confidential funds (CF) for a youth training program, when the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and local government units (LGUs) shouldered most of the expenses.
Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro asked Army Col. Manaros Boransing during the hearing regarding what agencies’ funds were used for the Youth Leadership Summit (YLS) — an anti-insurgency campaign for young people which DepEd supposedly allocated P15 million of its CF.
Boransing said the Philippine Army and the local government units spent funds for the YLS.
READ: DepEd under Duterte makes it seem it’s funding AFP training – solon
The Commission on Audit (COA) also confirmed to Luistro that the acknowledgement receipts used by DepEd to show how the P15 million CF was spent, actually referred to the YLS.
However, DepEd labeled this disbursement as rewards to informers.
Aside from this, COA said that there is a high likelihood that Duterte’s Office of the Vice President (OVP) used 34 safe houses worth P16 million for just 11 days in December 2022.
During the same hearing, COA was asked by Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop as to whether the 34 acknowledgment receipts given by OVP for the use of safe houses in 2022 — coursed through confidential funds (CF) — corresponds to one safe house each.
COA audit team leader Gloria Camora initially said that she cannot confirm this, but eventually said that there is information that indicates that each of the 34 acknowledgement receipts represents one safe house.
Acop and Chua then questioned what kind of safe houses were used considering that one property was rented for P500,000 and another P1 million for just 11 days — more expensive when compared to posh hotel rooms in the country.
READ: OVP likely used 34 safe houses for 11 days worth P16M in 2022 – COA
OVP and Vice President Sara Duterte have been under scrutiny after hearings at the House revealed different issues regarding budget utilization — from confidential funds in 2022 and 2023, and anomalies in the delivery of projects.
But instead of answering these questions, Duterte started off her briefing on Friday by narrating her path to the vice presidency, relaying that her father, former president Duterte, was really discouraging him from running for president.
The younger Duterte also criticized her former allies in the Uniteam, running-mate and now President Marcos and her former campaign manager, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
Later in the briefing, Duterte said that the accusations leveled against DepEd during the committee hearing on Thursday are not enough to substantiate issues — claiming that lawmakers only want to make it seem that confidential funds were misused so that public perception of her would be negative.