Sons of Marcos, Duterte trade barbs

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September 19, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — As the conflict between their families continues to heat up, House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos and Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte have engaged each other in a word war over the issue of corruption.

Congressman Duterte fired the first shot at the height of the leadership change in the chamber Wednesday, when he linked Rep. Faustino Dy III’s election as Speaker to his being a party-mate of Ilocos Norte Congressman Marcos.

“Sandro and the new Speaker are party-mates in Partido Federal ng Pilipinas. Mr. President, what is this? If you are really serious in your campaign against corruption, then you should have filed cases against corrupt lawmakers right away,” Duterte, younger brother of Vice President Sara, said.

“This is just another coverup move. A new face has changed but the system remains rotten,” the Davao City first district congressman said.

“That may have been his (Duterte’s) style when he was the son of the president, but I can assure you that we are consultative with all the party leaders. You can ask them, we met for plenty of weeks,” Marcos said.

“If only Cong. Pulong showed up to work, and during sessions, he might have seen these things. But I’m sure he’s busy looking for the P51 billion that was spent in his district,” the majority leader said, referring to the flood control funds allocated for Duterte’s district in the last three years of the Duterte administration.

The Davao City lawmaker admitted he got P51 billion in allocation for the period but stressed it was spent in infrastructure projects in his district.

“If only the gentleman from Ilocos were not blind and deaf to the clamor of our people – a clamor drowned by the influence of money and power – he would know that DPWH Region 11 has already clarified the P49.8 billion worth of projects in Davao City,” he said.

“All are properly accounted for. I sincerely hope the same transparency can be shown in his own district,” Duterte said, referring to Marcos’ turf. “There are no ghost projects here in Davao. I’m not looking for receipts, but the people are asking for copies of receipts from you,” he said.

“I have refrained from regularly attending sessions not out of neglect, but because the stench of graft and corruption has become unbearable within these very halls. It is an environment that suffocates true public service,” he added.

“Perhaps the gentleman’s time would be better spent in helping account for the trillions so expertly plundered and cartelized by his uncle, former Speaker Romualdez, and by Congressman Zaldy Co, so that these may be returned to the national treasury where they rightfully belong,” Duterte said.