Pulong to Marcos: What reforms, what legacy?

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June 2, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The elder brother of Vice President Sara Duterte wants to know what reforms of the Marcos administration she might reverse in case she becomes president in 2028.

“What are those reforms, really?” Davao City 1st district Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte asked Marcos.

“Your State of the Nation Address is approaching once again. Perhaps you can clearly enumerate the accomplishments of your administration that have genuinely been felt and experienced by ordinary Filipinos,” Duterte said in a Facebook post.

He maintained that the public is more interested in tangible results than “English buzzwords, new slogans and scripted applause.”

The lawmaker argued that many Filipinos continue to face rising prices, recurring flooding and economic hardships, which he said are the real measure of the administration’s performance.

Duterte also commented on Marcos’ remarks regarding his tandem with the Vice President in the 2022 elections, saying that “without Sara Duterte, you would not have won by the margin that you did. The UniTeam coalition delivered votes from north to south.”

Duterte also questioned Marcos’ concern over the possibility of future leaders reversing his reforms.

“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.

‘Living in darkness’

Reacting to Duterte’s statement, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro advised the lawmaker to watch Palace press briefings so he can be updated about the projects of the government.

“It appears that he is not reading. He is not watching the news. What a pity. He is living in darkness. He is living in fake news. He is living in his own imagination,” she said.

Happy birthday, VP

Castro also belatedly greeted the Vice President, not with balloons or party poppers, but with a photo associated with her alleged former bagman turned accuser.

Asked whether the Palace has a message for Sara, who turned 48 last Sunday, Castro said she won’t emulate the Vice President, who had refused to wish President Marcos a merry Christmas.

“We recall that last Christmas, she was saying that she won’t greet the President a merry Christmas because she was not sure whether his attitude would change if she greets him,” Castro said.

“We are not like that so we will greet her and I will emulate her way of delivering a birthday greeting. So we prepared a message for VP Sara. ‘Happy birthday, VP Sara,’” she added.

Castro then showed a photo of Sara carrying a fan with a birthday greeting originally for “Ram Madriaga,” but the name was struck through and was replaced with “VP Sara.”

Madriaga claimed to be a former bagman of Sara who was tasked to dispose of P125-million confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President in less than 24 hours. — Alexis Romero