Metro Manila, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte took a swipe at President Bongbong Marcos saying he is facing a “profound crisis of confidence” in handling the flood control mess, while expressing support to protests against corruption.
In a video statement on Monday, Nov. 17, Duterte said the investigation on the alleged pocketing of public funds through infrastructure deals lacks resolve and direction.
The vice president’s statement came days after former House appropriations chairman Zaldy Co tagged Marcos as the mastermind of the flood control scandal for ordering multibillion-peso insertions in the 2025 national budget.
“We also seek clear answers on how a budget that deprived Filipinos of billions and billions of pesos was approved under his watch,” Duterte said.
The vice president said she is one with Filipinos in expressing dismay with what she called excessive greed of the government.
Since Nov. 16, religious group Iglesia Ni Cristo – which backed both Marcos and Duterte in the 2022 elections – has been staging so-called transparency rallies in Manila.
Duterte earlier distanced herself from the INC protest.
“Ang karapatan nating magsalita at magpahayag ang sandigan ng demokrasya. Dapat itong pakinggan ng pamahalaan. Hindi para isantabi at balewalain lamang. We Filipinos deserve better,” Duterte said.
[Translation: Our freedom of expression is the bastion of democracy. The government needs to listen to this. It shouldn’t be ignored. We, Filipinos, deserve better.]
The vice president claimed she was aware of the supposed manipulation of the budget as the former chief of the Department of Education, but chose not to participate in the alleged corruption.
Duterte parted ways with the administration when she resigned as DepEd chief in July 2024.
Her supposed mismanagement of confidential funds as DepEd Secretary and vice president eventually became the grounds of her now-archived impeachment.
The Palace has consistently denied Co’s accusations.
