Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo Duterte fired back at fellow lawmakers on Tuesday, slamming attempts to pin the spotlight on his father’s administration amid a congressional probe into alleged corruption in flood control projects.
During the House committee hearing on the supposed anomalies in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), officials confirmed that Davao City’s 1st District received ₱51 billion in infrastructure allocations from 2020 to 2022—during the final three years of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s term.
DPWH Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral affirmed the figure when questioned by lawmakers, citing official records from the National Expenditure Program and the General Appropriations Act. Cabral admitted in the hearing, “Yes, your Honor,” when asked if she recalled making the same statement in a televised interview earlier this year.
But Congressman Paolo Duterte was quick to dismiss the focus on the P51 billion funding, accusing some members of Congress of diverting attention from more serious allegations.
“What kind of hearing is this?” Duterte asked in frustration. “There are DPWH officials who have admitted to giving payola to certain government officials—yet instead of demanding accountability, some lawmakers, like Rep. Joel Chua, suddenly brought up the ₱51 billion budget for Davao City.”
He accused critics of using the Dutertes as a smokescreen to avoid addressing deeper issues. “Duterte kayo nang Duterte! Stop dragging the Dutertes to cover up your mess. Focus on the real issues—flood control anomalies, payola, and the officials who admitted to giving bribes,” he said.
Duterte insisted that the projects in his district were legitimate and visible. “If you really want to find ghost projects under that ₱51 billion, go ahead and investigate. Show the records, check the ground. The truth is there—these are projects that were built and are being used by the people of Davao,” he added.
He also challenged his critics to scrutinize their own districts. “Look at your own congressmen in Luzon. Don’t keep targeting Davao—the flooding and garbage are right there in your own backyards,” he said in a mix of English, Tagalog, and Bisaya.
