DAVAO CITY – Davao City first district Rep. Paolo Duterte called on government officials on Wednesday, Sept. 10, to be transparent about alleged ghost flood control projects, warning that taxpayers across the country deserve accountability for every peso spent.

“We, Davaoeños, are taxpayers, too. It’s not just Luzon or Metro Manila that pays taxes. Our money is part of the same national budget,” Duterte said. “If there are really ghost projects, let’s show them to the public.”

Duterte said the people of Davao deserve the truth about the so-called flood control projects happening in Luzon and some other parts of the country, as taxpayers. He emphasized that the flood control project’s budget is from people’s money.

“Again, if these are ghost projects, present them openly to the public. That is our money—the people’s money. Don’t twist the story and pin the blame on my family to cover up your wrongdoing,” the lawmaker said in a local dialect.

Duterte questioned the delivery of public services amid allegations of corruption: “Where are the actual projects? Where is the service? Or was the money pocketed instead?”

He stressed that the issue was about Davao and Filipinos nationwide being deprived of resources. “Every Filipino—Bisaya, Ilocano, Waray, Kapampangan, Tagalog—has the right to demand answers,” he said.

The lawmaker also lamented what he described as years of personal attacks against his family, citing trauma on his children and the abduction of his ailing father, former President Rodrigo  Duterte, into a foreign court process.

“We are not perfect, but if we make mistakes, we will face them. If the infrastructure committee is investigating, do it correctly and fairly. The people deserve the truth. But if it is just another effort to ruin our family, file the cases and spare taxpayers’ money from this circus,” he said.

Rep. Duterte dared officials to make the budget and projects fully accessible to the public: “Show all the budgets, release all the projects. Do not hide them on paper. Show them in the actual districts—whether there are roads, bridges, canals, hospitals, or if they are just drawings.”

“Let us all demand the truth, backed by evidence. This is no longer the time for drama, diversion, and accusations. The Filipino people, including us Davaoeños, will no longer accept excuses,” Rep. Duterte said, calling for evidence-based accountability for every peso stolen from the people.

Rep. Duterte stated what he described as continued attacks against his family. His remarks came as questions resurfaced about the flood control projects budget allocated to Davao City during his father’s presidency from 2020 to 2022.

The first district of Davao City alone is geographically larger than the entire Metro Manila, and the whole of Davao City is more than three times the size of the National Capital Region.

Despite concerns over the flooding on some streets in the city during heavy downpour and allegations of misuse of funds, Rep. Duterte has maintained that the allocations were properly spent.