House Deputy Majority Leader and La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega said Friday, Feb. 7, that Vice President Sara Duterte might be living in a "multiverse" when she claimed that life was better under the administration of his father, former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Ortega hit the Vice President for being "detached from reality" and supposedly painting "a false narrative" during her press conference, where she made the remark.

"Nabubuhay yata sa ibang dimensyon si VP Sara. Kailan naging mas maayos ang buhay ng Pilipino noong panahon ng kanyang ama? (The Vice President might be living in a different dimension. When was it that the lives of Filipinos were better during her father's time?)" Ortega asked.

Life was not better under Duterte than under Marcos, said the Ilocano.

"Sa ilalim ng administrasyon ni Pangulong Marcos, gumaganda ang ekonomiya, bumababa ang inflation, at patuloy ang pagbuhos ng suporta sa mga Pilipino sa kabila ng global challenges (Under the administration of President Marcos, the economy got better, the inflation slowed down, and the Filipino people continue to pour in their support amid global challenges)," he said.

Ortega cited the Marcos administration’s economic gains, including sustained gross domestic product (GDP) growth, record-high foreign investments, stable inflation rates, and expanded social programs benefiting ordinary Filipinos.

Meanwhile, the Duterte administration left behind economic scars, including record-high government debt, supply chain disruptions, and questionable pandemic spending, he said.

The lawmaker then accused the Vice President of holding a press conference to downplay her impeachment case and divert the attention from the serious allegations against her.

"Ang totoo, baka gusto lang niyang lumayo sa isyu ng impeachment at anomalya sa paggamit ng pondo (Maybe she just really wants to divert from the real issue of impeachment and her anomalies in using the fund)," she said.

"Pero kahit anong pagbaluktot niya sa katotohanan, hindi mababago ang mga datos at ebidensya na nagpapakita ng totoong kalagayan ng bansa (No matter how hard she tries to twist the fact, it won't the change the data and the evidence that shows the real situation of the country)," he added.

For Ortega, Duterte, "instead of living in a fictional multi-verse... should step into the real world and contribute to nation-building under the leadership of President Marcos'.