Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte has leveled a serious accusation against House leadership, alleging that staff of a person he identified only as “Charise” contacted the chiefs of staff of lawmakers who voted for the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, threatening to strip their districts of entire General Appropriations Act allocations if they refused to comply.
The alleged threat, Pulong said, covered infrastructure funds for irrigation, schools, bridges, and roads — allocations that communities in poorer provinces depend on. Social service funds were also said to be on the chopping block.
“The national budget is not a weapon. Hindi ito panakot. Hindi ito ginagamit para pilitin ang mga halal na kinatawan na sumunod sa gusto ng iilan,” the congressman said in a statement. “Uulitin ko, tao ang paparusahan ninyo para sa mga ambitions ninyo.”
He characterized the alleged conduct as something far beyond ordinary political pressure. “What we are seeing now under the bangag leadership is not politics as usual — this is outright coercion,” he said.
The accusation comes as the House Committee on Justice unanimously voted on April 29 — all 53 members in favor — to find probable cause to impeach the Vice President on two consolidated complaints. The committee will transmit its report to the plenary when Congress reconvenes on May 4, where only a third of the 318-member chamber is needed to send the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate for trial.
For Pulong, the vote reflects intimidation rather than conviction. “If leadership is confident in its case, then let the evidence speak — not threats, not pressure, and certainly not the hostage-taking of public funds,” he said.
The congressman argued that district funds belong to constituents regardless of who holds leadership. He framed the broader stakes in terms of what ordinary Filipinos stand to lose — taxpayers whose contributions, he said, are now being turned against them. “Kung kinahanglan manghadlok ug mang-blackmail para lang mapasa ang impeachment, then that already tells us everything — we are not dealing with strength, but with fear,” he said.
Pulong dismissed the impeachment drive as a political purge aimed at eliminating a rival ahead of the 2028 elections, in which Vice President Sara Duterte has already announced her presidential bid.
He ended his statement with an unequivocal refusal to stand down. “Hindi kami uurong. Hindi kami matatakot. Dili mi magpa-ilad. We will stand our ground — not for politics — but for the Filipino people who entrusted us with their voice.”
