Vice President Sara Duterte refused to comment on the P20-million budget the government will spend for President Marcos third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 22, and indirectly compared the House of Representatives to a “house of cards.”
Vice President Sara Duterte speaks during the turnover ceremony at the Department of Education (DepEd) Central Office in Pasig City on July 18, 2024. (Mark Balmores/MANILA BULLETIN)
“Hindi ko masagot kasi hindi ako part ng House of Representatives, house of cards,” Duterte said in a media interview shortly after officially stepping down as Department of Education (DepEd) chief last July 18.
The official seemingly once again referred to a Netflix series when she called the House of Representatives the “house of cards.”
Starring the embattled Kevin Spacey, the streaming giant’s “House of Cards” was about a ruthless congressman and his equally conniving wife who sought revenge and rose to power by forming new alliances and betraying old ones.
This wasn’t the first time it appeared that Duterte referred to a Netflix series.
When she announced she wasn’t going to attend the SONA in-person, the Vice President said she was appointing herself as a “designated survivor,” which was another Netflix series about a lowly Cabinet secretary who was catapulted to the presidency after a catastrophic event left the presidential line of succession open.
Critics and the President’s allies hit back at Duterte for the remark, calling it “irresponsible” and “reckless” as it can be seen as a threat against the Chief Executive.
The Vice President then clarified her remark was neither a joke nor a threat but refused to explain as she didn’t see those who did not understand her comment as deserving of an explanation.
Instead, Duterte said that she would be monitoring the President’s SONA at the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) headquarters, confirming that she will be in Manila during the event on Monday.