Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon clapped back at Acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte for branding the House of Representatives' flood control projects inquiry as a mere "PR (public relations) stunt".

Ridon, in a press conference Thursday, Aug. 28, said it was important for mayors to be with their constituents during times of disaster.

"I think very important muna po siguro na (First of all, I think it's very important that), he has to go back to the Philippines. I don't know where he is. But very important po for mayors to be present during times of crisis. So I think that's the first point that we want to make," he said.

Ridon is one of the co-chairmen of the House Infrastructure Committee (infra comm), which is schedule to launch its probe on the flood control projects mess on Sept. 2.

Mayor Duterte, an administration critic, has continued to blame President Marcos for the floods in Davao. He called the solons' efforts to investigate the issue as a PR stunt.

The local chief executive has been joining his siblings to trips to The Hague in the Netherlands, where their father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, is detained.

In late July, Mayor Duterte flew to Singapore just days before a scheduled charity boxing match between him and then-Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Nicolas Torre III. The boxing match was an offshoot of the mayor's challenge to Torre, who he isn't a fan of.

At ary rate, Ridon believes that there is a "basis to also look into the implementation of flood control projects within Davao City and the Davao region".

"Meron pong centrality yun pong flood control system sa atin pong mga lugar (The flood control systems in our areas have this centrality to them)," he said.

"So very important din po definitely na makita rin ho natin yun pong mga impact ng flood control systems within Davao City and within Davao region. Kasi I'm quite certain, malaki rin po talaga yung pondo eh na iginugol within this administration and more particularly in the previous administration to Davao City and to Davao region.

(So it’s definitely very important that we also see the impact of the flood control systems within Davao City and the Davao region. Because I’m quite certain that a substantial amount of funding was indeed spent during this administration, and even more so in the previous administration, for Davao City and the Davao region.)

Former president Duterte is the direct predecessor of incumbent President Marcos.