VP Sara on rumored ouster of Speaker: Too late

MANILA, Philippines — For Vice President Sara Duterte, replacing presidential cousin Martin Romualdez as Speaker would be too late a move for the Palace to salvage the declining trust and popularity ratings of the Marcos administration.

While stating that she has no information on the rumored Palace memorandum recommending Romualdez’s removal, Duterte said such a move, if true, would be irrelevant, as the “damage has been done” to national coffers following alleged irregularities in the passage of the 2025 national budget.

“I don’t have information about the supposed document on the replacement of Speaker Romualdez. I don’t think that is relevant right now because the damage has been done. What they (House members) did to our national budget was so wrong and corrupt,” Duterte said in a mix of English and Filipino during a chance interview with reporters in Cagayan de Oro City on Wednesday night.

The Vice President was reacting to a rumor that the Palace, through a memorandum allegedly signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, had ordered intensified efforts to boost President Marcos’ survey ratings and recommended replacing Romualdez with Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco, the campaign manager of the administration’s Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas.

Malacañang, through Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro, dismissed the rumor as “fake news.” Bersamin also issued a separate statement categorically denying the existence of such a memorandum.

The Vice President maintained that whether or not Romualdez is replaced, the alleged government funds lost due to massive corruption in the House of Representatives would not be recovered. — Mark Ernest Villeza, Jose Rodel Clapano