Vice President Sara Duterte didn’t hold back in a speech on Thursday as she took a jab at a Manila lawmaker’s looks and manner of speaking, accusing him of hurling baseless allegations against her.
Without naming anyone, Duterte poked fun at the congressman in front of a cheering crowd, saying, “Nagtataka ako sainyo, yung congressman ninyo dito. Yung congressman ninyo, yan yung mukha ng distrito ninyo. ‘Yan yung pambato ninyo doon sa House of Representatives. Unang una sa sobrang laki ng leeg niya naiipit na yung boses niya.” She even mimicked his high-pitched tone, jokingly repeating, “Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker.”
Her remarks were widely seen as directed at Manila 2nd District Representative Rolando Valeriano, one of the lawmakers who pushed for a congressional probe into the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) use of confidential funds.
Duterte questioned why voters had chosen him, contrasting him with former Rep. Carlo Vincent Lopez, whom she described as having a better “face and capacity” for leadership. “Hindi ko alam ano bang nangyari nung 2022 at yan ang binoto ninyo? Ikwento niyo sa akin. Kasi nung nakita ko siya nagsasalita patungkol sakin, [sabi ko] congressman yan ng ciudad ng Maynila?” she said.
The brewing tension traces back to 2024 when Valeriano raised concerns over the OVP’s proposed budget, alleged “ghost beneficiaries” of financial assistance programs, and the questionable use of confidential funds. Valeriano’s privilege speech spurred a wider investigation, revealing that millions in confidential funds were released to security officers assigned by Duterte herself.
Disbursing officers from the OVP and Department of Education testified that they handed over large sums to Col. Raymund Lachica and Col. Dennis Nolasco, raising red flags about accountability. Records later showed that many beneficiaries listed had no corresponding birth, marriage, or death certificates in official databases, with fake-sounding names such as “Miggy Mango” and “Joug De Asim” surfacing in official documents.
