Davao City First District Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte on Tuesday issued a statement criticizing fellow lawmakers over the alleged deletion of a House manifestation and their reported silence on accusations involving supposed money deliveries linked to the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.
In his statement, Duterte claimed that 18 members of the Philippine Marine Corps had executed sworn testimonies alleging they witnessed suitcases filled with money being delivered.
He emphasized that the claims were not rumors but formal accounts from uniformed personnel.
“Grabe no? Ang lalakas ng loob. Eighteen (18) Marines-uniformed men who risk their lives for this country-came forward and said they witnessed suitcases filled with money being delivered. Hindi ito tsismis sa kanto. Hindi ito ‘fake news vlog.’ These are sworn testimonies from men in service,” he said.
The congressman questioned the response of certain lawmakers allegedly implicated in the controversy, pointing to what he described as silence and “denial without substance.”
He also criticized the reported removal from the records of a manifestation made by Rep. Bong Suntay at the House of Representatives of the Philippines.
“Pero anong sagot ng ilang mambabatas na nadawit? Silence. Denial without substance. At mas matindi pa- binura pa sa House records ang manifestation ni Rep. Bong Suntay,” Duterte said.
“Wow. Ang galing. If you cannot answer the allegation, just delete it from the record? Mao na diay na ang bagong standard sa ‘transparency’?” he said
He likened the alleged deletion to a student tearing up an exam paper after being caught cheating.
“Parang bata nga nadakpan na may kopya sa exam-instead of explaining, gisi-on ang papel,” he said.
Duterte’s statement comes amid political tensions surrounding impeachment efforts against Vice President Sara Duterte.
While details of the impeachment grounds have been debated publicly, Duterte argued that any such proceedings must be based strictly on constitutional grounds and credible evidence.
“Ang impeachment laban kay VP Sara should stand on evidence and constitutional grounds, not on alleged suitcases and backdoor transactions. Kung malinis ang konsensya ninyo, then welcome a full investigation. Huwag selective ang tapang,” he said.
He maintained that deleting or striking out statements from official records would not quell public suspicion.
“The Filipino people are not stupid. Kung wala kayong tinatago, bakit takot na takot kayo sa manifestation? Why silence a fellow lawmaker? Why sanitize the records? Ano ang kinakatakutan ninyo-the truth?” he stressed.
Duterte also addressed the 18 marines by commending their courage.
“To the 18 marines-saludo ako sa inyo. It takes courage to speak against powerful politicians. Dili lalim mosukol sa sistema,” he said.
Duterte also mentioned past controversies over flood control funds and accusing them of trying to divert public attention.
“And most importantly, di pa rin namin nakakalimutan ang billions and trillion of flood control anomaly nyo mga hunghang. Lipay mo kay naa mo bago pangdivert ang gyera mga amawa mong mga tambaloslos bangag minions. Si kokey nangugat kay paper bag ra iyaha dili maleta. Maleta pa more!,” he stated.
