Vice President Sara Duterte criticized President Bongbong Marcos, asserting he is dealing with a “profound crisis of confidence” in addressing the alleged flood control corruption scheme, while voicing solidarity with Filipinos protesting against graft.
In a video message released Monday, Nov. 17, Duterte said the administration’s probe into accusations of siphoned public funds through infrastructure projects shows weak direction and determination. Her remarks followed claims by former House appropriations chair Zaldy Co, who accused Marcos of orchestrating the flood control anomaly by allegedly pushing multibillion-peso insertions into the 2025 budget.
Duterte questioned how a budget that purportedly deprived Filipinos of billions was approved under Marcos’ leadership. She said she stands with citizens dismayed by what she described as government greed.
Since Nov. 16, Iglesia Ni Cristo — which endorsed both Duterte and Marcos in 2022 — has been holding “transparency rallies” in Manila. Duterte earlier said she was not involved in the INC protests but stressed that public expression is central to democracy and must be acknowledged by the government.
The vice president also claimed she was aware of alleged budget manipulation during her time as education secretary but said she did not take part in any wrongdoing. Duterte resigned from DepEd in July 2024, a split that eventually fed into the now-archived impeachment complaint against her over the use of confidential funds.
Malacañang has repeatedly rejected Co’s allegations.
