Sara Duterte hits Marcos' flood control probe after ignoring DepEd anomalies

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte claimed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s attempts to uncover anomalies in flood control projects are not genuine, accusing him on Monday, September 1, of previously “looking the other way” when he was told of corruption in the Department of Education’s budget.

Duterte, who resigned as DepEd secretary in July 2024, mentioned anew her accusation that House lawmakers had divided and secured for themselves parts of the DepEd's School Building Program (SBP) budget in 2024, and attached their preferred projects to the House version of the 2024 appropriations bill. 

She claimed the irregular budget insertions were brought to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s attention at a meeting in Malacañang. But she said the president deliberately chose not to act.

“Members of the House of Representatives divided among themselves the SBP budget of the Department of Education,” Duterte said in a mix of English and Filipino in an interview at The Hague on Monday, September 1. “And not only that, they even attached the list to the House version of the [General Appropriations Bill].”

“President Marcos knows that... because it was also taken up during a meeting in Malacañang. But he looked the other way,” the vice president said.

Why now, she asks. The vice president also asked why the Marcos administration was only now pursuing an inquiry into corruption in flood control projects, a problem she said had long existed under multiple presidents, "not just under the administration of President Duterte," her father. 

Calling the probe “too little, too late,” she suggested it was meant to distract from a supposed scheme being "cooked up behind the scenes.”

“Kung seryoso lang talaga ang presidente, tapos na ’yan isang araw lang, matuturo niya lahat ng may kagagawan ng corruption sa budget. Pero, as you can see, para ngang nanonood tayo ng zarzuela,” Duterte said. (If he's really serious, it would have been concluded in a way, he could identify all those involved in corruption within the budget. But, as you can see, it's like we're watching musical theater.)

Duterte stepped down as education secretary on July 19, 2024, citing “deep differences” with Marcos and the House leadership. 

Months later, she accused House Speaker Martin Romualdez and the then-chairperson of the House appropriations panel, Rep. Elizaldy Co, of inflating DepEd's budget for classroom construction beyond its requested amounts in 2023 and 2024, which she claimed allowed them to control billions in additional funds.

Romualdez is the president's cousin. He was re-elected in the recent midterm polls and is once again speaker of the House. 

Accountability sought. Marcos last week ordered a lifestyle check on all government officials, starting with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), amid the ongoing investigations into the extent of corruption in flood control projects. 

The president, according to Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, is also himself willing to undergo a lifestyle check and release his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, if necessary.

In response to criticisms from Davao City Vice Mayor Baste Duterte, the Palace on Saturday challenged the Dutertes to help account for the 13,917 flood control projects from the previous Duterte administration, and inform the public whether these projects "exist, are operational, effective in addressing the flooding problem."