Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua (Dexter Barro II/MANILA BULLETIN)

DAVAO CITY--Instead of taking every criticism as some sort of personal attack, Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua says Vice President Sara Duterte should instead take these concerns in a positive light.

“Dapat i-take niya ito in a positive way kasi baka mamaya makatulong pa rin naman sa kaniya,” Chua said in an interview on the sidelines of the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF) here.

(She should take it in a positive way because these may still help her later.)

“At, alam po ninyo, kami dito sa politika talagang ‘di ka dapat balat-sibuyas,” he stressed, referring to the Filipino idiom describing a person who is too sensitive to criticism.

(And, you know, here in politics, you really shouldn't be onion-skinned.)

Vice President Duterte, once a close ally of pro-administration lawmakers in the 19th Congress, figured into a bitter clash with them during the recent deliberations on the proposed 2025 budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

The country’s second highest-ranked official didn’t budge to queries from both majority and minority congressmen, with the spotlight focused on the controversial spending of P125 million in confidential funds during an 11-day period in December 2022.

Chua, a member of the majority, is among Duterte’s fiercest critics.

At one point, he even called for the Vice President’s resignation from the Marcos Cabinet—two months before she did—following political attacks by the Duterte family to President Marcos.

Both Marcos and Duterte were part of the UniTeam alliance during the 2022 national elections, which saw both claim the two top spots of the government.

Chua, however, insists that he is not exactly a “critic” of the Vice President.

“Sa akin naman ay constructive criticism na siguro dapat i-take niya ito not personally,” the Manila solon explained.

(To me, it is constructive criticism that maybe he should not take personally.)

“Kasi syempre nagsasalita ‘yung bumabanat sa iyo na wala namang saysay, pero syempre kung ito naman ay may saysay, tignan mo rin,” he added.

(Of course, the one who is assailing you is making no sense, but of course if it makes sense, you should take a look at it.)

When asked by reporters if this “critic” label was a concern for him, Chua disagreed, and said that it was the norm for politicians.

“Dapat ang mas manaig, kung ano ‘yung trabaho mo, gawin mo,” he continued.

(The thing that should prevail is, you do your job, whatever it may be.)