Incoming House members from the Makabayan bloc chided Vice President Sara Duterte for her recent statement wherein she urged her brother, Davao City 1st district Rep. Paolo Duterte, to run for the House Speakership in the upcoming 20th Congress.
Kabataan Party-list Representative-elect Renee Co and ACT Teachers Party-list Representative-elect Antonio Tinio said that Vice President Duterte's suggestions to Rep. Duterte was her attempt at bolstering their family’s weakening political influence.
Fantasy ‘yan sila. Threatened ang mga Duterte na mawalan ng kapit sa poder kung tuluyang matanggal sa pwesto si Sara at ma-convict si Digong, kaya biglang pepwesto si Pulong.
(That’s their fantasy. The Dutertes feel threatened that they might lose their grip on power if Sara is removed from office and Digong is convicted, so Pulong is suddenly positioning himself.)
Vice President Duterte is facing an impeachment trial in the Senate, while ex-president Rodrigo Duterte is being detained and tried by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands for crimes against humanity.
Rep. Duterte just won a third and final term in the lower chamber. If he runs for Speaker in the next Congress and loses, he could still be House Minority Leader.
"Huwag silang magpanggap na oposisyon (They should not pretend to be the opposition)," Co said.
"Kailangan na talaga magpasa ng Anti-Political Dynasty Bill para hindi na nilalaro ng mga pami-pamilya ang mga posisyon sa gobyerno (The Anti-Political Dynasty Bill must be passed so that families stop playing around with government positions)," she said.
Tinio, a former congressman, pointed out that the Dutertes' political influence is already waning, as evidenced by their significant losses in the recent elections outside their Davao City stronghold.
"The Dutertes may have won in Davao City, but they suffered substantial losses in surrounding provinces and across the country. Their political capital is eroding, yet they continue to act as if they have a mandate to control all branches of government," Tinio stated.
"Dapat tandaan nina VP Sara at Rep. Pulong na ang kanilang kapangyarihan ay nanggagaling sa taumbayan, at hindi ito isang karapatan na ipinagkakaloob sa kanilang pamilya. Ang pagtatangka nilang monopolyohin ang kapangyarihan ay taliwas sa diwa ng demokrasya," he emphasized.
(VP Sara and Rep. Pulong must remember that their power comes from the people and is not a right granted to their family. Their attempt to monopolize power goes against the spirit of democracy.)
Tinio also called on other lawmakers to resist any attempt by the Dutertes to further expand their political influence in Congress.
"We urge our colleagues in the House to stand firm against this brazen attempt to treat our democratic institutions as family possessions. The Speaker and Minority Leader positions should be filled based on merit, capability, and commitment to serve the Filipino people, not on family connections," Tinio concluded.