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Sara Duterte says Romualdez didn't have a hand in her decision to run for VP in 2022
Philippines
National
Sara Duterte says Romualdez didn't have a hand in her decision to run for VP in 2022
Sara Duterte says Romualdez didn't have a hand in her decision to run for VP in 2022
By Raymund Antonio and Raymund Antonio
Published Jun 7, 2023 12:31 pm
Amid reports of tension brewing between them, Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday, June 7, denied a lawmaker’s claim that House Speaker Martin Romualdez played a role in her eventual decision to seek the vice presidency in 2022.
Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte (OVP photo)
In a statement, she asserted that Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., who made the remarks about Romualdez’s hand in her candidacy, “was obviously badly informed or made to believe a lie".
“Speaker Martin Romualdez had absolutely nothing to do with my decision to run for Vice President,” she said.
“To say that he ‘tremendously helped in pushing for’ my Vice Presidential bid is acutely inaccurate — an insult to thousands of groups and individuals who incessantly implored me to reconsider an earlier decision not to join national politics,” Duterte added.
Instead, she revealed, it was Senator Imee Marcos, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s sister and the House Speaker’s cousin, who persuaded her to run for vice president.
This, she insisted, was a decision “sealed only after President Bongbong Marcos agreed to the conditions I set before running for VP”.
“There was no Speaker Romualdez in the picture,” Duterte said in response to Barzaga’s remark that Romualdez helped push for her vice presidential bid and that he was among those who convinced her to run under the UniTeam ticket with Marcos in the May 2022 elections.
The lawmaker also lauded the House Speaker for taking the “moral high ground” despite Duterte’s insinuations against him.
It was the first time that Duterte directly launched a bristling broadside at Romualdez after weeks of rumored in-fighting in the House of Representatives as brought about by the "demotion" of former president and now Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from Senior Deputy Speaker to Deputy Speaker.
The Vice President once used the Visayan term “tambaloslos” against an unnamed person in the heat of the shakeup in Congress that saw Macapagal-Arroyo, her mentor, apparently getting that demotion.
In a recent event, Duterte also refused to mention Marcos’ middle initial -- pertaining to Romualdez -- when she recently thanked him in a speech.
Reports of a rift within the UniTeam became ripe after Arroyo’s demotion and Duterte’s subsequent resignation from Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) as chairperson. Romualdez is the party’s president.
Despite the reported rift between her and the President’s cousin, the Vice President nevertheless stressed the stability of the Marcos administration, and assured that “political bickering” was merely part of any democracy.
“Let me reiterate this, however — the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is stable and strong. It has my all-out support and the support of the majority of the Filipino people,” Duterte said.
Without naming Barzaga, she hinted that “a person who cannot distinguish between attack and humor has no place in politics.”
She reiterated that “political bickering is just a facet of democracy and should not be used to equate with governance” and was amused at “how the recent political developments have become an opportunity for sycophants.”
Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte (OVP photo)
In a statement, she asserted that Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., who made the remarks about Romualdez’s hand in her candidacy, “was obviously badly informed or made to believe a lie".
“Speaker Martin Romualdez had absolutely nothing to do with my decision to run for Vice President,” she said.
“To say that he ‘tremendously helped in pushing for’ my Vice Presidential bid is acutely inaccurate — an insult to thousands of groups and individuals who incessantly implored me to reconsider an earlier decision not to join national politics,” Duterte added.
Instead, she revealed, it was Senator Imee Marcos, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s sister and the House Speaker’s cousin, who persuaded her to run for vice president.
This, she insisted, was a decision “sealed only after President Bongbong Marcos agreed to the conditions I set before running for VP”.
“There was no Speaker Romualdez in the picture,” Duterte said in response to Barzaga’s remark that Romualdez helped push for her vice presidential bid and that he was among those who convinced her to run under the UniTeam ticket with Marcos in the May 2022 elections.
The lawmaker also lauded the House Speaker for taking the “moral high ground” despite Duterte’s insinuations against him.
It was the first time that Duterte directly launched a bristling broadside at Romualdez after weeks of rumored in-fighting in the House of Representatives as brought about by the "demotion" of former president and now Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from Senior Deputy Speaker to Deputy Speaker.
The Vice President once used the Visayan term “tambaloslos” against an unnamed person in the heat of the shakeup in Congress that saw Macapagal-Arroyo, her mentor, apparently getting that demotion.
In a recent event, Duterte also refused to mention Marcos’ middle initial -- pertaining to Romualdez -- when she recently thanked him in a speech.
Reports of a rift within the UniTeam became ripe after Arroyo’s demotion and Duterte’s subsequent resignation from Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) as chairperson. Romualdez is the party’s president.
Despite the reported rift between her and the President’s cousin, the Vice President nevertheless stressed the stability of the Marcos administration, and assured that “political bickering” was merely part of any democracy.
“Let me reiterate this, however — the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is stable and strong. It has my all-out support and the support of the majority of the Filipino people,” Duterte said.
Without naming Barzaga, she hinted that “a person who cannot distinguish between attack and humor has no place in politics.”
She reiterated that “political bickering is just a facet of democracy and should not be used to equate with governance” and was amused at “how the recent political developments have become an opportunity for sycophants.”