VP Sara visits Senate allies

Vice President Sara Duterte paid a visit to the Senate on Wednesday where she met with Senator Rodante Marcoleta and the other members of the so-called Duterte bloc — Senators Bong Go, Ronald dela Rosa and Imee Marcos.

Duterte was supposed to conduct a press conference after her meeting with Marcoleta, but it did not push through because of a scheduled flight to Sultan Kudarat.

“My flight is already boarding and I promised I would speak here, but since my flight is boarding now, I’ll just come back tomorrow,” she said.

Details of her discussion with Marcoleta were not divulged, although the senator said the Vice President reaffirmed her confidence and support for him.

She was seen leaving the Senate alongside Marcoleta, Go, Dela Rosa and Marcos.

The visit came a day after Duterte appeared before the House of Representatives for the appropriations committee hearing on her office’s proposed P889-million budget for 2026.

Sara raps BBM’s slow action

Speaking to reporters after the House deliberations, Duterte took aim at the Marcos administration, accusing it of being too slow in addressing alleged anomalies in the multibillion-peso flood control projects.

She said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should not wait for the findings of the newly created Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).

“If you’re the President and you already know what’s happening — if you can see from the budget how public funds are being misused — will you still wait for a commission or a truth commission or whatever commission? You should act right away,” she said.

The Vice President challenged the President to order lifestyle checks on lawmakers and their staff if he is serious about fighting corruption.

“Tell your allies in the House to fix the budget. Conduct lifestyle checks on congressmen and their staff — many of them even own houses abroad. He doesn’t seem to know what to do, and he’s moving too slowly. The Philippines can’t afford delays,” Duterte said.

She has previously alleged that former Speaker Martin Romualdez and ex-House appropriations panel chair Rep. Elizaldy Co had been “controlling” national budget allocations.

“Our budget was used for racketeering — and now it has blown up. I can’t speak for the DPWH, but I can speak for the DepEd, and I’ve already told you what happened,” she said.

Palace strikes back

Malacañang swiftly pushed back against Duterte.

In a Palace briefing, Communications Undersecretary and Press Officer Claire Castro defended the President’s creation of the ICI, stressing his commitment to due process.

“We don’t know if she has been living in a cave and is unaware of what’s been happening. Maybe she needs high-grade glasses or even a hearing aid to see and hear everything the President has been doing,” Castro said.

She added the President does go for shortcuts and heavy-handed crackdowns.

“The President does not believe in an EJK-style approach — no investigation, just the grave as the final outcome. What he wants is due process, not mere words or empty promises,” she said.