Vice President Sara Duterte

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte dismissed the complaint lodged against her brother Davao 1st District Representative Paolo Duterte as simply a “political attack” yet again by the administration to cover up their supposed failures and misgivings. 

“Oh yes [this is political attack] Sabi ko na nga, every time nagkakaroon sila ng issue, malaking issue na kabalbalan na ginagawa nila, ang kanilang pang-cover sa mga issue na ito ay atakihin ‘yung kalaban nila sa politika,” she said in an ambush interview in Zamboanga City on Saturday.

As proof of supposed political harassment to their family, she cited patterns supposedly showing the tactics of the government diverting people’s attention from their misgivings. 

She said Pulong’s complaint was the most recent one among all of it. 

Duterte said it was simply a counter attack, yet again, when the distribution of the long-promised P20 per kilo rice was halted a day after its roll out in the Visayas.

“Noong lumabas naman yung kanilang May 1 na 20 pesos ang kilo ng bigas. At siyempre, dahil hindi naman totoo yung pangako na ‘yun, pambobola lang naman yun sa mga tao, hindi nila kayang i-sustain, ay tinigil kaagad ng May 2, lumabas naman yung complaint kuno kay Pangu — ay kay Congressman Pulong Duterte,” she said. 

A video showing a man resembling the lawmaker seemingly threatening to assault another man in a bar recently went viral online. The man in black shirt holding a knife was seen headbutting another man while punching him on the side. 

In a 24 Oras report, the man being assaulted confirmed that it was him and the congressman in the video and the scene captured in the video was the incident he filed a complaint for. 

The first of it was the impeachment case filed against her was pursued, she said, when issues of the “blank items” on the 2025 national budget made headlines. 

“Tinanong kung paano naging legal ‘yung paggamit nila ng pera, eh puro blangko ‘yung nasa loob ng budget, ay lumabas ‘yung impeachment ko. Iyon ‘yun,” she said. 

The second one was the supposed involvement of First Lady Liza Marcos in the death of a Filipino during her recent trip to the United States. Thereafter, her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte’s March 11 arrest which they claim as “kidnapping” happened, she said, to cover up the First Lady’s controversy. 

“Tapos, noong nagkaroon ng malaking krimen sa Estados Unidos na mayroong namatay dahil sa drug overdose, at kung makikita ninyo doon sa police report ay nandoon ang pangalan ni First Lady Liza Marcos na isa sa mga tao doon sa loob ng kwarto kung saan ‘yung tao ay nag-overdose sa — suspected drug overdose sa hotel room, at ang daming nakikitang white powder substance na sinabi doon sa police report ay suspected cocaine din, ay bigla nilang kinidnap, kinuha si Pangulong Duterte,” she said. 

This however was denied by the Palace as “fake news.” 

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