DAVAO CITY — Davao City First District Representative Paolo Duterte has recently lamented the move of the leadership in the House of Representatives to take P2 billion from the National Expenditure Program budget for his district and just leaving a P500 million budget for 2024.

In a statement, the Davao City lawmaker stressed that the move will be detrimental to the welfare of his constituents.

“To all congressmen ganging up on us, do not give me that kind of BS as those who will be affected will be the Davaoeños who voted for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.” Duterte said.

He also revealed that from his reliable sources, he heard that some senators are allegedly explicitly requested to refrain from putting projects in his district.

“I will not kneel for you to give me projects, especially when a ‘fake master’ takes 30 percent,” the lawmaker said.

“I have kept my silence all through these months since I do not want my constituents to suffer from the dirty politics in the House of Representatives,” he added.

Duterte also lashed out on other lawmakers who are pushing the so-called people’s initiatives for Charter change, calling it as nothing but pure “PI” as some lawmakers are pushing to tweak the 1987 Constitution via the People’s Initiative.

Meantime, Ako Bicol Partylist Representative Zaldy Co stressed that there were no allocated funds in the 2023 General Appropriations Act to support the House-led people’s initiative to amend the charter.

Co also dispelled the alleged P100 per signature petition for a people’s initiative to amend the Constitution.

“The alleged P100 per signature petition for a people’s initiative, especially in the first district was not true. The lowest was P3,000 to P10,000,” Co said. “That is why nobody would believe him that for P100 people would sign. Even Pulong said in Davao it was P10,000.”