After President Duterte took his corruption allegations publicly against members of the Liberal Party, the opposition said it was a diversionary tactic used by the current administration to sidetrack discussions on issues of national interest.
In a statement, the Liberal Party stood by its members who Duterte accused of corruption during his weekly address to the nation on Monday night. The President, however, admitted that he has no evidence of such allegations.
“Matitino at mahuhusay ang mga binanggit niyang kasapi ng Partido (The members of the Party that the president mentioned are all good and competent). They have won mandates in various elections because of the trust of their constituencies. They have been recognized for their service. They continue to help and serve however they can, regardless of whether they currently hold office or not,” the LP said.
“Needless to say, walang katotohanan ang mga paratang (there is no truth to these allegations),” the party stressed.
Duterte mentioned Occidental Mindoro Rep. Josephine Sato, former Ifugao Rep. Teodoro Baguilat Jr., Quezon City 5th District Rep. Alfredo Paolo Vargas, Misamis Occidental 2nd District Rep. Henry Oaminal, Isabela 4th District Rep. Alyssa Sheena P. Tan, Northern Samar 1st District Rep. Paul Daza, Quezon 4th District Rep. Angelina Helen Tan, ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Eric Yap, and Bataan 1st District Rep. Geraldine Roman during his speech.
Baguilat, Sato, and Daza are LP members.
Instead, the Liberal Party said these accusations are done to divert from the real issues that are plaguing the country such as the slow and ineffective response to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of deaths every day, police abuses, and the P15-billion missing Philhealth funds.
“There are clear reasons why these should be investigated. These are the things that this administration should spend their energy on instead of inventing a list of accusation against people they see as their political enemies,” the party stated.
It warned that these accusations will follow the fate of detained Senator Leila de Lima, who Duterte accused of links to a drug syndicate earlier in his administration.
The Liberal Party said that as the 2022 national election nears, the administration will have massive "disinformation operations."
“As always: The Liberal Party will not be cowed by lies. Magpapatuloy ang serbisyo namin sa taumbayan— at kabilang dito ang pagsasabi ng katotohanan laban sa gobyernong pabaya, tiwali, at hindi kayang arugain o ipaglaban ang Pilipino (We will continue our service to the people—which includes telling the truth against a government that’s incompetent, corrupt, and unable to protect and fight for Filipinos).”