VICE PRESIDENT Sara Duterte on Thursday claimed that the recent change in House leadership was merely a show for the public amid public anger from the ongoing controversy surrounding flood control projects.
Duterte’s comments came a day after Isabela Congressman Faustino “Bojie” Dy was elected as the new speaker of the House of Representatives, replacing Martin Romualdez, who had resigned from the post.
The change in leadership followed public outrage over an alleged anomaly involving Romualdez and Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co. Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the 27th Davao Agri Trade Expo (DATE) at the SMX Convention Center, Vice President Duterte offered her perspective on the political shift.
“I have no message for Congressman Dy,” she said, before sharing her observations. “I just want to share with our countrymen that he is a good person. I’ve met him several times at my events and in my work.”
She then connected Dy to what she described as the same political group as his predecessor.
“Di ko Kasi masabing warlord siya eh. Ang may hawak ng probinsya ng Isabela ay si Governor Rodito Albano, si Rodito at Tonypet Albano. Yung congressman ng Isabela dati hindi ko alam kung hanggang ngayon nasa circle yan ni Speaker Martin Romualdez. Isang grupo yan sila (I can’t say he is a warlord. The one who holds the province of Isabela is Governor Rodito Albano, so Rodito and Tonypet Albano, the former congressman of Isabela—I don’t know, if until now they are in the circle of Speaker Martin Romualdez. They are one group),” she stated.
Duterte explained her reasoning, noting her long-standing observations. “How do I know? Because I know that Tonypet Albano and Martin Romualdez are close friends. I was with them. I can’t remember what year it was, but at a senator’s child’s wedding, I was with them, and that’s where I learned they were close friends during the campaign.
After the campaign, they won and started working. I saw that Governor Rodito Albano was also with their group. So, if you notice, Congressman Dy is always sticking with Congressman Rodito Albano.”
“So, yung pagpapalit nila ng speaker dyan ay para lang yan masabi ng mga tao na meron silang ginawa sa House of representatives sa reklamo at sa galit ng mga tao pero ang totoo nyan ay sila lang din niyan (So, the change in speaker is just for the people to say that they did something in the House of Representatives amid the public’s complaints and anger),” she said.
“Grupo lang din yan ni Martin Romualdez, ni Sandro Marcos, and of course, papunta na rin yan kay BBM,” she said, adding that all the political maneuverings are related to the 2028 presidential elections.
