MANILA – Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. would not have won the 2022 presidential election without the support of his running mate, Vice President Sara Duterte.

In a media report, it said that Pulong added if not for Duterte, he would have not won the elections.

“Tungkol sa sinabi mong wala kang regrets sa pagtakbo kasama si Vice President Sara Duterte—tama ka diyan. Wala ka talagang dapat pagsisihan. Because the truth is simple—without Sara Duterte, you would not have won by the margin that you did,” Duterte said.

Sara Duterte was Marcos’ running mate under the UniTeam coalition during the 2022 national elections.

“The UniTeam coalition delivered votes from north to south. History will always show that your victory was built not on the Marcos name, but on the trust and support commanded by Vice President Sara Duterte,” he added.

In response, Malacañang said the 2022 electoral victory could not be attributed to a single candidate, stressing that both Marcos and Duterte ran under the UniTeam banner.

“UniTeam sila. Hindi mo pwedeng sabihin na ito ay dahil lamang kay Pangulong Marcos Jr. o dahil lamang kay Bise Presidente. UniTeam, ibig sabihin nagkaisa sila,” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a briefing.

Castro also questioned claims that only the Vice President was responsible for the mandate, citing the President’s work in office.

“Ngayon, bakit ibinibigay lamang sa Pangulo ang mandato? Eh Pangulo po siya eh. Pangalawa, sino po ba nagtatrabaho at sino po ba nagbabakasyon? Sino ang tuloy-tuloy na nag-aaruga sa ating mga kababayan at sino rin ba yung tuloy-tuloy na wala sa bansa?” she said.

President Marcos earlier expressed concern that the Vice President, if she eventually succeeds him, might undo his administration’s legacy.

Marcos won the presidency with 31 million votes, while Sara Duterte secured 32 million votes in the vice presidential race.

Pulong Duterte, however, said the President does not hold sole claim to the public mandate, and questioned claims of a legacy under the current administration.

“Nakakapagtataka na ngayon ay parang gusto mong palabasing ikaw lang ang may ambag sa mandato na ibinigay ng taumbayan. Instead of worrying about who might “undo” your legacy, perhaps the bigger question is whether there is a legacy that Filipinos can genuinely point to beyond speeches, slogans, and photo opportunities,” he said.

“Mr. Bangag, dahil ikaw mismo ang nagsalita na parang napakarami mong naitayong “reforms” na maaaring sirain ng iba, kailangan ding may magtanong: ano ba talaga ang mga repormang iyon?” he added.

“Malapit na naman ang SONA mo. Baka puwede mong isa-isahin nang malinaw ang mga nagawa mo na ramdam ng ordinaryong Pilipino. Hindi iyong puro English buzzwords, bagong slogans, at scripted applause mula sa mga kongresistang nakapila para mag-standing ovation. Ang gusto marinig ng tao ay resulta, hindi production number,” he said, referring to the State of the Nation Address set in July.

Malacañang hit back, with Castro saying the congressman appeared misinformed and detached from government updates.

“Bakit kailangan pang hintayin ang SONA? Samantalang kung manonood lamang siya ng press briefing makikita niya kung ano ang ginagawa ng Pangulo,” she said.

“Mas maganda po sana manood siya ng press briefing, mga news, mainstream, state-owned media. Lumalabas po kasi na hindi siya updated, hindi nagbabasa, hindi nanonood ng news. Nakakaawa naman. Nabubuhay sa dilim, nabubuhay sa fake news, nabubuhay sa sariling imahinasyon,” she added.