Duterte slams Marcos for letting erring lawmakers 'evade accountability'

Neil Alcober·18 September 2025, 3:07 pm·1 min read

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Duterte slams Marcos for letting erring lawmakers 'evade accountability' — (FILES) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. leads a ‘unity toast’ for the country’s tourism industry during the Philippine Tourism Industry Convergence Reception by the Department of Tourism at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on Monday. Giving BBM a toast are Vice President Sara Duterte (left), First Lady Liza Marcos (third from left), and Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco (right).
Photograph by Yummie Dingding for the daily tribune

Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday slammed President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for allowing congressmen accused of misusing or pocketing public funds to leave the country or resign to evade accountability.

"Hindi niya [President Marcos Jr.] dapat hinahayaan 'yung mga congressman na basta na lang umalis ng bansa o basta na lang mag-resign to evade accountability doon sa mga nakita natin na pag-chop-chop ng budget natin at pagkuha ng pera ng bayan para bumili sila ng mga properties, bumili sila ng mga jets, bumili sila ng properties abroad at lahat noong kanilang --- na makikita natin sa lifestyle nila," Duterte said in an ambush interview in Davao City.

She declined to comment on the resignation of House Speaker Martin Romualdez but noted that the House leadership has not changed significantly, as the new Speaker, Isabela 6th District Rep. Faustino “Bojie” Dy III, is a close ally of Romualdez and Marcos.

"Si Congressman Dy, kung mapapansin nyo, lagi lang yan nakadikit kay Congressman Rodito Albano. So yung pagpapalit nila ng speaker dyan ay para lang yan masabi ng mga tao na meron silang ginawa sa House of Representatives sa reklamo at sa galit ng mga tao. Pero ang totoo niyan ay sila lang din yan. Grupo lang din yan ni Martin Romualdez, ni Sandro Marcos, and of course, siyempre, papunta na rin yan kay BBM," Duterte said.

"So sila lang din yun, sila-sila lang din yan, at sila-sila lang din nag-usap kung ano ang gagawin nila. At sila-sila lang din ang nagplano kung anong gagawin nila sa 2026 budget because this is all about, number one, the presidential elections of 2028 in the budget of 2026. Kasi inubos naman din nila iyong 2025 di ba? So 2026 na pinag-uusapan dito," the Vice President added.

On Wednesday, Dy was elected as the new Speaker following the resignation of Romualdez, who stepped down to give way to an independent investigation into alleged anomalies in flood control projects.

Romualdez’s resignation came a day after he met with his cousin, President Marcos Jr., and the president’s son, Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Sandro Marcos.