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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Solon cites burger incident as proof that VP Duterte, Marcoleta are 'BFFs'

Solon cites burger incident as proof that VP Duterte, Marcoleta are 'BFFs'

Published Jul 8, 2026 05:20 pm

At A Glance

  • Rep. Paolo Ortega recalls an anecdote from the 19th Congress where Vice President Sara Duterte allegedly gave Senator Rodante Marcoleta a cheeseburger, which he cites as proof of their "BFF" closeness.
  • The story ties back to House hearings on Duterte's alleged misuse of confidential funds, later used to support impeachment complaints.
  • Marcoleta, now a senator-judge in Duterte's impeachment trial, has missed sessions due to his arrest on a plunder charge, with Duterte visiting him at the PNP General Hospital after his detention.
From left: Vice President Sara Duterte, a burger, Senator Rodante Marcoleta (Facebook, Unsplash)
From left: Vice President Sara Duterte, a burger, Senator Rodante Marcoleta (Facebook, Unsplash)


The proof is in the cheeseburger?
House Deputy Speaker La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega V shared an alleged anecdote about Vice President Sara Duterte and Senator Rodante Marcoleta, which allegedly proves their closeness together.
Or, as Ortega likes to call it, their "BFF (best friends forever)" status.
The congressman's anecdote had to do with the time during the previous 19th Congress when Duterte supposedly brought cheeseburgers to the House of Representatives.
"Noong isang hearing ng [House] Blue Ribbon noon, kung napapansin niyo, noong nawala po yung hopia ni Senator Marcoleta. Kinain po yata ni dating Congressman [Joseph Stephen "Caraps"] Paduano yung hopia niya," Ortega recalled during a press conference at the Senate on Wednesday, July 8.
(During one hearing of the House Blue Ribbon before, if you noticed, when Senator Marcoleta’s hopia went missing. Former Congressman Joseph Stephen ‘Caraps’ Paduano probably ate his hopia.)
The hearing he was referring to was the one held by the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability on the topic of misuse of confidential funds amounting to P612.5 million by offices controlled by the Vice President.
At that time, Marcoleta was still SAGIP Party-list congressman.
Ortega continued his story: "Noong break po namin [sa hearing], napansin ko na may baon po na hamburger ang Office of the Vice President (OVP), may baon po silang Jollibee.
"Si Senator Marcoleta lang po ang binigyan na congressman ng cheeseburger noon," the deputy speaker noted.
(During our break in the hearing, I noticed that the OVP had brought hamburgers from Jollibee. Senator Marcoleta was the only congressman who was given a cheeseburger at that time.)
Based on this special treatment, Ortega concluded that "Siguro may level of closeness sa pagkakaibigan sila (Perhaps there's a level of closeness in their friendship)."
"Siguro one of her BFF siguro kasi siya lang yung binigyan ng cheeseburger na congressman. Kami hindi binigyan," he said.
(Perhaps he's one of her BFFs, because she was the only congressman who was given a cheeseburger. We weren’t given any.)
Marcoleta is one of the senator-judges in the Vice President's ongoing Senate impeachment trial. However, he hasn't been able to attend any of the first three trial dates between Monday and Wednesday due to his arrest by the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court on a P75-million plunder charge.
On Tuesday, respondent Duterte visited Marcoleta at the Philippine National Police-General Hospital (PNP-GH), where the latter was taken after his arrest.

Related Tags

rodante marcoleta Sara Duterte IMPEACHMENT Paolo Ortega Burger Cheeseburger BFF
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