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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider VP Sara questions Marcos' confidence in ongoing corruption probe: 'Alam niya na yung kalalabasan'

VP Sara questions Marcos' confidence in ongoing corruption probe: 'Alam niya na yung kalalabasan'

Published Oct 16, 2025 01:21 pm
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte (Mark Balmores/MANILA BULLETIN)
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte (Mark Balmores/MANILA BULLETIN)
Vice President Sara Duterte is wondering why President Marcos is so sure that the flood control corruption scandal won’t reach the Office of the President, hinting that it might be because everything has been scripted from the start.
“Sa ganitong ongoing pa yung investigation kuno at inquiry kuno, sobrang magtataka ka bakit confident yung Pangulo na hindi aabot sa Office of the President yung iskandalo at korapsyon. So, ibig sabihin siguro alam na niya kung ano yung kalalabasan ng inquiry at ng investigation (Now that the so-called investigation and inquiry are still ongoing, you would wonder why the President is so confident that the scandal and corruption will not reach the Office of the President. So, it means he already knows what will happen in the inquiry and investigation),” she said.
The Vice President was a guest at the Pandesal Forum in Quezon City on Thursday, Oct. 16 in celebration of the World Pandesal Day.
“Wala namang iba sigurong explanasyon kung bakit napaka-confident mo sa mga mangyayari pa. Wala pa akong nahanap na tao na alam kung ano yung mangyayari bukas. Siya pa lang, si BBM pa lang (So, there’s no other explanation why you are so confident about what’s going to happen. I haven’t seen a person who knows what will happen tomorrow. It’s just BBM),” she added.
The flood control corruption that erupted during the twin investigations in the House of Representatives and the Senate is now under the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).
High-ranking officials, including former speaker Martin Romualdez and former senate president Chiz Escudero, have been tagged in the scandal and the budget insertions into the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
But Romualdez, in facing the ICI, denied that he received kickbacks in exchange of infrastructure projects. Former Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Zaldy Co did not face the ICI despite being subpoenaed after he was identified to have received billions of pesos of kickbacks from the anomalous projects.
Romualdez as state witness?
The idea of Romualdez as state witness, however, was rejected by the Vice President.
“Mamaya na lang tayo magkomento kapag nandiyan na yung kaso at nakikita na natin na totoo talagang state witness siya. Pero sa batas, yung principal sa krimen, hindi pwede maging state witness (We will just comment later on when the case is already there and we see that he became a state witness. But under the law, the principal in the crime cannot be state witness),” Duterte stressed.
Earlier, Palace press officer Claire Castro deferred to the incoming Department of Justice (DOJ) secretary questions about the possibility of Romualdez being a state witness in the investigations into the anomalous infrastructure projects across the country.
On Thursday, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon said that the agency and the Office of the Ombudsman are investigating the CLTG Builders—a company owned by Senator Bong Go’s father, Diciderio Go—and the Discaya couple.

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Flood control scandal VP Sara Duterte President Marcos ICI
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